Three Faces of Federalism in the Foreign Policy: Russian and German Approaches to the “Ukraine Crisis”

This chapter considers the discursive use of federalism in the Ukrainian context in the official discourse of the two international players—Russia and Germany. In the hybrid war context of the “conflict in and around Ukraine,” the notion of federalism is simultaneously employed as (1) a way to influence country’s foreign policy and regional security order, (2) a conflict resolution instrument inside the state, and (3) a good governance mechanism destined to make a more just and effective administrative system. This mixture of ideas, facilitated by the multifaceted nature of the federalism theory and practice, and the diverging aims and tactics of actors of a hybrid war, brings about unorthodox solutions for Ukraine’s internal and foreign policy.