Russia

The anti-Russian sanctions imposed by the European Union are not having the desired effect. After two years, it is becoming clear that the sanctions are hitting the Russian economy, but are not preventing them from being circumvented, with Asian countries, led by China, playing a major role. Thus, the Union included several companies from China and Hong Kong in the February round of sanctions. Viktor Danek, deputy director of the EUROPEUM Institute, commented on the possible consequences in a report for the main broadcast news TV Nova.

Support for Ukraine, the situation in Gaza, agricultural policy and other - topics of this month's EU summit in Brussels. What will be the most pressing topics? What will the EU say about the situation in Gaza, will it adjust the demands on agriculture and negotiate the freezing of Russian funds? Vít Havelka, an analyst at EUROPEUM Institute, commented on the topics for ČT24.

The G7 countries are considering the transfer of frozen Russian financial assets to Ukraine. This sum, ranging between $200 and $300 billion, could provide significant support to Kiev. However, such move would be unprecedented and raises questions about compliance with international law and concerns about creating a dangerous template. Martin Vokálek, executive director of the EUROPEUM Institute, spoke on the topic for Slovakian Radio RTVS.

On October 25th, EUROPEUM’s Brussels Office under the representation of Think Visegrad Brussels and in cooperation with Fondation Robert Schuman organized an expert discussion titled “Impact of the Russian War in Ukraine on European Security Architecture and EU’s Eastern Neighborhood”. This discussion, which was held under the Chatham House rules, gathered 19 experts from think-tanks, EU institutions, NATO and diplomats from EU Member states.

Our research Associate Tereza Novotná commented on the changes in North Korea's domestic politics and the gradual opening of the country to foreigners in a new article for Kyiv Independent.

Tereza Novotná was a guest on The Globalist podcast in which she commented on Kim Jong-un's extended visit to Russia.

Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un hold a joint summit in Russia. Our researcher Tereza Novotna commented on the rapprochement between the leaders of the Russian Federation and North Korea for German radio NDR.

Tereza Novotná, an expert from EUROPEUM, spoke about the summit between Kim Jong-un and Vladimir Putin on German NTV.

Our executive director Martin Vokálek commented for ČT24 on the rebellion of the mercenaries from Wagner's group.

A new international analysis points to the Czech Republic as a leader of liberal values in Central and Eastern Europe. Twice as many people trust the President than last year, when Miloš Zeman was still head of state. The analysis was prepared by Globsec, a prestigious think tank based in Bratislava. Our senior Research Fellow Klára Votavová also commented on the issue.

Events around Ukraine and Russia, and the new 11th sanctions submitted by the European Union. The EU has submitted these sanctions to its member states and our researcher Zuzana Stuchlíková comments on the situation.

We would like to invite you to a debate called "Security Challenges for the Pacific, EU and Russia " in the EU-PACIFIC Talks series. The debate will take place online on Friday, December 2 at 11:30.