AC Chairman and Founder Deborah Lehr Argues Successful Peace Settlement for Ukraine Must Include Cultural Property
March 5, 2026
Since the onset of Russian aggression in Ukraine, cultural property has been a key objective of Russia’s war strategy, exploited as a tool for propaganda and destroyed to erase Ukrainian identity.
In an op-ed published on March 5, 2026, for The Hill, Antiquities Coalition’s Chairman and Founder Deborah Lehr looks at an issue that should be part of any future Ukraine peace settlement: the return of looted cultural heritage.
The widespread destruction and theft of Ukraine’s cultural heritage is not incidental. Throughout history, cultural heritage has been both a victim and a weapon of war—to erase identity, rewrite narratives, and claim legitimacy over territory. Allowing Russia to retain Ukraine’s stolen cultural treasures would validate propaganda narratives, reward wartime looting, and embed grievances that could last for generations.
History also shows that the United States has played a leading role in confronting these crimes. Drawing on the legacy of the Monuments Men and Women, Lehr argues that U.S. negotiators now have an opportunity to continue that tradition by ensuring that Ukraine’s stolen cultural property is returned as part of any peace settlement.
As of early 2026, the U.S. is leading efforts to broker peace settlement to end the Ukraine-Russia war. As the United States helps shape the path toward any future settlement, one principle should remain clear: no nation should be allowed to erase another’s past.
Lehr concludes,
“Ukraine’s cultural heritage is its art, history and faith. To allow Russia to retain the stolen cultural treasures would be to concede part of Ukraine’s identity at the negotiating table. As the United States helps shape the terms of any settlement, it should ensure that Russia cannot steal the record of Ukraine’s past or the foundation of its future.”
Read the op-ed in The Hill, here.
Want to learn more? Read the AC Think Tank Policy Brief, How Does Russia Exploit History and Cultural Heritage for Information Warfare? Recommendations for NATO, here.
Check out the Ten Most Wanted Missing Antiquities List to uncover the story of the Mariupol Bull Figurine, an 8,000-year-old Neolithic carving, looted during Russia’s 2022 siege of Ukraine, here.