War in Ukraine: A Three-Year Struggle for Sovereignty and Freedom
February 28th, 2025 12:00PM -1:00PM
Three years in, the Russia-Ukraine war remains Europe’s largest and deadliest conflict since World War II, with devastating civilian and military casualties continuing to mount. The war, which began with Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, has reshaped geopolitical landscapes and intensified global security concerns.
What does the future hold for Ukraine, and is the country prepared to engage in negotiations to bring an end to this devastating war? Should it? Join LTG (ret) Douglas Lute, former U.S. Ambassador to NATO, and World Affairs Council President and CEO Jacqueline Miller for a conversation on the implications of the war for global stability, democracy, and the balance of power in Europe and beyond.
About the Speaker
Ambassador Douglas Lute is the former United States Ambassador to NATO. Appointed by President Obama, he assumed the Brussels-based post in 2013 and served until 2017. During this period, he was instrumental in designing and implementing the 28-nation Alliance responses to the most severe security challenges in Europe since the end of the Cold War.
A career Army officer, in 2010 Lute retired from active duty as a lieutenant general after 35 years of service. In 2007 President Bush named him as Assistant to the President and Deputy National Security Advisor to coordinate the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. In 2009 he was the senior White House official retained by President Obama and his focus on the National Security Council staff shifted to South Asia. Across these two Administrations, he served a total of six years in the White House.
Before being assigned to the White House, General Lute served as Director of Operations (J3) on the Joint Staff, overseeing U.S. military operations worldwide. From 2004 to 2006, he was Director of Operations for the United States Central Command, with responsibility for U.S. military operations in 25 countries across the Middle East, eastern Africa, and Central Asia, in which over 200,000 U.S. troops operated.
Through his military-diplomatic career, he received numerous honors and awards, including three awards of the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, the State Department’s Distinguished Honor Award, the Grand Officer of the Order of Merit for the Italian Republic, and the Commander’s Cross of the Order of Merit for the Federal Republic of Germany.
General Lute holds degrees from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and United States Military Academy at West Point, which named him a Distinguished Graduate in 2018. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations; a charter member of the Senior Military Advisory Group of the United States Institute of Peace; a member of the American Academy of Diplomacy; and a member of the board of the Atlantic Council of the United States.
Amazon is an underwriting sponsor of all World Affairs Council Community Programs.