Support for Ukraine has rightly focused on the battlefield. Weapons deliveries, intelligence sharing, sanctions enforcement, and diplomatic pressure have all been framed around a single imperative: ensuring Russia does not succeed in its attempt to conquer a sovereign European nation by force. Yet victory is not defined solely by where the front line ends. A war is truly won only when the peace that follows is durable, which means the West must begin preparing now for Ukrainian reconstruction.
For some, this may sound premature. Russia continues to launch major missile and drone attacks almost nightly. The Kremlin continues to trumpet fake victories in long-contested cities such as Kupiansk and Pokrovsk, even though they do not control them and are losing an estimated 1,000 soldiers per day. Elections loom across Europe and the United States, with public patience for continued large-scale support for Ukraine wearing thin in many quarters. But postponing reconstruction planning until after the shooting stops would be a strategic error. History offers a clear lesson: the shape of postwar recovery often determines whether victory endures or collapses into instability.
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