Russia

We would like to invite you to the next debate in the EU± series, this time on the topic "Germany's position on the Russian war in Ukraine". How does German aid to Ukraine compare to other allies? What is the content of the German Zeitenwende? How will the change in Germany's approach to foreign policy translate into European foreign and security policy? Can Germany be expected to lead on security issues as it does in economy?

The EUROPEUM Institute for European Policy, the Balkans Policy Advisory Group (BiEPAG) and the European Fund for the Balkans (EFB) invite you to a public conference on the Balkans and its politics at the event entitled: Consequences of the Russian Invasion of Ukraine for the Western Balkans: Challenges and Opportunities for the Czech Presidency. The debate will take place on 11 May 2022 at 18:30 at Impact Hub K10, Koperníkova 10, Prague 2 - Vinohrady, 120 00.

Our researcher, Kateřina Davidová, commented for Aktuálně.cz on the latest package of sanctions against Russia by the European Union. According to her, the biggest impact on the Russian economy would be the restriction or ban on the purchase of mineral resources from the largest European customers or even from the whole European union. The best alternative to these energies would be to switch to renewable energy sources, says Kateřina Davidová.

Žiga Faktor, a research fellow from our Institute and the head of our Brussels office, together with Irena Jenčová from the Euractiv portal, spoke in a Radio Slovakia discussion about sanctions against Russia, the unacceptable demands of the Kremlin, and the search for a way for Europe to replace Russian gas and oil. Will economic pressure force Moscow to come to the negotiating table and declare a ceasefire in Ukraine? Would not greater diplomatic engagement by the United States or China help?

Christian Kvorning Lassen, Deputy Director and Head of Research at our Institute, together with other experts, spoke to the online news server E15.cz and described possible scenarios of how the war in Ukraine could end. The article thus describes five possible scenarios - both the more optimistic ones for Ukraine and the less favourable ones.

Our researcher Jana Juzová commented for Euractiv on how Serbia's ambiguous position is affecting its EU accession process. Serbia is one of the few European countries, that has refused to join the anti-Russian sanctions, even though it has supported Ukraine's territorial integrity and promised to help refugees. The role taken by this Western Balkan country is not surprising, as it has been teetering between the EU and Russia for the last decade. In the accession process, according to our researcher, Serbia's current position towards Russia is not the biggest problem, as Serbia also faces other shortcomings for EU integration.

We would like to invite you to the next debate within the Café Evropa series, this time on the topic: " Café Evropa: Russian aggression in Ukraine - can we stop Putin?". The debate will take place on 2 March at 17:30. What will be the impact of the joint actions of the EU and NATO countries on Russia? Are the arms supplies sufficient or should direct military support be included? Can economic sanctions help Ukraine in any way now, or is this more of a step that will only become apparent in the longer term? Is the collapse of the rouble and the entire Russian market realistic? How can China influence Russia's current economic situation? And how will these sanctions be felt by the Russian population?

EUROPEUM Institute analyst, Alexandr Lagazzi, spoke in an exclusive program of Studio ČT24 about Italy's view not only on SWIFT and the change of their policy towards Russia but also about Italy's overall attitude towards the war in Ukraine.

EUROPEUM Institute for European Policy joined public statement by initiative e Friends of Free Russia and Czech civil society on Western measures and sanctions against Russian violations of international law and illegal invasion on the territory of Ukraine.

Calm on the Eastern Front. At least at the moment. Our researcher Danielle Piatkiewicz has written an article for INFO.CZ in which she monitors the situation around the Ukrainian border with Russia over the past few weeks. US and European Union officials have warned that a Russian invasion could happen at any moment.

Our researcher Danielle Piatkiewicz commented for the news portal E15 on the situation regarding the planned sanctions against Russia in the case of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline.

Pavel Havlíček, an analyst at the AMO Research Centre, has written a policy paper for our Brussels office on the Czech-Russian escalation as a case of a deeper crisis between the EU and Russia. In his article, he also makes recommendations for the European Union. The text was written during a research stay in Brussels, which was facilitated by our Brussels office with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic.