Think Tank Network on the Eastern Partnership
Network Workshop: Europe’s Capacity to Act Amid Geopolitical Shifts and Russia’s War on Ukraine

Network Workshop: Europe’s Capacity to Act Amid Geopolitical Shifts and Russia’s War on Ukraine

As Russia’s aggression against Ukraine persists, now surpassing 1,000 days, the geopolitical landscape in Europe and its neighborhood continues to shift at an unprecedented pace. Elections in 2024 resulted in a new European Commission and the return of Donald Trump to the US presidency. Trump, who has claimed he will end the war on Ukraine within 24 hours of taking office, will change the rules of the game for supporting Ukraine and broader transatlantic cooperation as he further undermines the international rules-based order. Meanwhile, Russia is making further advances in Ukraine – with no will to negotiate over occupied territories – and has strengthened its strategic alliances with Iran, China, and North Korea.

This workshop will address the European Union’s capacity and urgency to respond to these challenges. It will explore the evolving political dynamics within the EU, especially as the collapse of Germany’s governing coalition and shifts in French politics have contributed to a more inward-looking European political landscape. In light of Poland’s upcoming EU presidency in the first half of 2025, it will examine the more prominent role that the country has assumed in European security and defense initiatives. Further, it will look at the increasingly complex situation in Ukraine and its impact on the EU's eastern neighborhood.


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Hastily Organized Elections in Ukraine Would Undermine Democracy and the Conflict Settlement
Anastasia Pociumban and András Rácz
Original Content
Recent reports from both US and Russian media following the Riyadh negotiations suggest that the two powers have agreed on a sequenced settlement for Ukraine: f...

Policy Brief
Germany and Russia’s War of Aggression against Ukraine: The Third Year
Dr. Stefan Meister
Original Content
Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 came as a real shock to German elites and society alike. Although Russia has been behaving aggressive...

Policy Brief
Foreign Policy Implications of Trump’s Return and Germany’s Coalition Collapse. Ukraine As the First Victim
Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff
Republished Content
Change, instability, and transition will characterize the foreign policy environment over the coming months as politicians and citizens grapple with the reverbe...

Policy Brief