Nadia Massih is pleased to welcome Dr. Volodymyr Yermolenko, Ukrainian philosopher, journalist, author and President of PEN Ukraine. According to Dr Yermolenko, the war is not simply a military confrontation, Europe’s future hangs in the balance. Speaking hours after a devastating missile attack on Kyiv, he juxtaposes the intimate experience of civilian vulnerability with a broader strategic analysis, arguing that Russia’s continued attacks on residential areas reflect military frustration rather than momentum. He contends that Ukraine’s comparative advantage lies in asymmetric warfare, technological innovation, and the mobilisation of civil society, while warning that European support is not merely an act of solidarity but a matter of continental self-preservation.