Is the Concept of Intermarium Relevant: A New Security Belt of Europe is Forming
Around Ukraine Intermarium ceases to be a historical metaphor and becomes a real geopolitical architecture
The idea of Intermarium – a union of states between the Baltic, Black, and Adriatic Seas – remained for decades an intellectual project without practical implementation. But Russia's war against Ukraine has made it not just relevant, but vitally necessary. What seemed a few years ago like the theory of interwar idealists is today transforming into the foundation of a new security geography of Europe.
Poland, the Baltic countries, Romania, Czechia, Slovakia, Ukraine, Scandinavia – these are now not Europe's periphery, but its active frontier. It is precisely this belt – from Tallinn to Bucharest – that forms the line of containment which stops Russian revanchism and becomes a guarantee that the war will not spill over further to the West.
Ukraine Becomes the Central Element of Intermarium and the Guarantor of Its Defensive Capability
Intermarium ceases to be merely a political club, because at its center now is Ukraine, a state that has gained unique experience of a large war against the RF army. The Ukrainian army, intelligence, drone technologies, and naval systems have made Kyiv not only an object of protection, but a source of security for all of Europe. That is why the countries of the region are increasingly actively supporting military-industrial integration with Ukraine: Polish factories repair Ukrainian equipment, Czech enterprises produce ammunition, the Baltic countries are forming a joint air defense system. This process is actually creating a horizontal security system without the bureaucracy and political compromises characteristic of Brussels. If once Intermarium was an idea of regional unity, then now it is a defense alliance in action.
Joint Defense Initiatives Transform Intermarium into a Practical Mechanism of Collective Resilience
The deployment of joint production lines, the creation of regional logistics hubs, and the unification of intelligence and air defense systems are gradually forming a network defense structure of a new type. Already today, Ukrainian-Polish and Ukrainian-Lithuanian initiatives for the joint production of ammunition and drones are in operation, and the countries of Northern Europe are integrating Ukrainian technologies into their naval programs.
Under the auspices of the Lublin Triangle, joint exercises for ground forces are being prepared, and the 'Baltic–Black Sea' format is considering the possibility of creating an early warning system for missile threats. All of this indicates that Intermarium is transforming into a practical defense ecosystem capable of acting independently at a critical moment – before the large NATO structures make a formal decision.
The Partner Belt Between the Seas Becomes Europe's Shield, Which Restrains Not Only the Army, but Also Chaos
Russian aggression has proven that Europe's security does not start in Berlin or Paris – it starts at the borders with the RF. It is precisely the countries of Intermarium that have taken upon themselves the first blow of hybrid war: from cyberattacks and energy blackmail to migration crises. This region is not only a military buffer, but also an intellectual front, where a new strategic culture of the West is being formed.
Intermarium is a territory of quick decisions, flexible alliances, and real military experience, which transforms traditional NATO doctrines into a living defense system. Today, a new model of collective security is being born here – decentralized, technological, aimed not at containing the past, but at preempting the threats of the future.
Europe's New Security Architecture is Built Not by Declarations, but by Joint Power
The recent years have proven that large alliances often act too slowly when it comes to responding to a crisis. In contrast, the Intermarium format is a community of states united not by formal agreements, but by practical interdependence. From gas interconnectors and transport corridors to joint productions of drones, artillery systems, and ammunition – this belt creates its own infrastructure of strength. And it is precisely this that allows it to claim the role of the core of a new European defense system, in which decisiveness weighs more than bureaucracy. Intermarium becomes not an antipode to NATO, but its eastern enhancer, capable of acting where large alliances are still only making decisions.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy Has Made This Concept a Political Reality
The Ukrainian leader has repeatedly emphasized that Europe's future security must be built 'from the Baltic to the Black Sea,' and that Ukraine itself is the key to the stability of the entire continent. Under his leadership, Kyiv has transformed into the center of a new frontier diplomacy: initiatives such as the Lublin Triangle, the Ukrainian-British-Polish Alliance, Baltic-Black Sea Forums, and defense coalitions within 'Ramshtein' – all of this is real steps toward forming a functional Intermarium. Zelenskyy has not just revived a historical idea – he has made it the core of a political strategy, where Ukraine is not a beggar for aid, but the foundation of security.
Intermarium is Not an Alternative to the EU or NATO, but Their Future Eastern Core
The reality of modern war has proven that the periphery has become the center, and the center – dependent on its resilience. If Western Europe desires long-term peace, then it is precisely the Intermarium belt that must become the new strategic shield – for protection not only from Russia, but from any attempt to destroy the European order. This belt unites not only territories, but also political will – the readiness to defend freedom not by declarations, but by actions. And today, it is precisely Ukraine that makes the concept of Intermarium not a part of history or just a theory, but a part of Europe's future.
Anton Kuchukhidze, political scientist and foreign policy analyst, expert at the “United Ukraine” Think Tank