In a new essay for the Center for European Policy Analysis, Thomas Kent argues for the ongoing importance of effective storytelling about the war in Ukraine. He holds that Russia has failed to tell a convincing story about a feasible path leading to the war’s end. Western governments have pledged support, though they, too, have not been able to articulate a clear path to victory.  While Kent believes that Ukraine has been more effective at telling stories about specific acts of resistance, he notes that its vision of an achievable settlement has also had to change with the war. Kent argues that without a credible story about what comes next in the war, world leaders will struggle to sustain public support for continuing sacrifice.

Russia and the West now mainly offer their citizens a tale of combat without end. As a result, both sides are struggling to justify ever-growing sacrifices to advance a story without an obvious conclusion.