Dr Reinhard Krumm, Director of the FES Baltic States office, and Dr László Andor, FEPS Secretary General, analyse in this episode the dangerous tensions around the Russia--Ukraine border. First, they go through the last decades and review the main developments in international relations in the last 30 years that brought us to the current situation. They look back to key episodes like the enlargements of NATO, the war in Georgia, and the annexation of Crimea by Russia. Dr Krumm insists on the fact that the discussion on security and defence has never been so intense in this century. He refutes the arguments that we would be going back to the Cold War, because this time there are more actors involved (the rise of China is not irrelevant, even if China is geographically distant from the current conflict zone). Both speakers agree that European diplomacy and negotiations with Russia are essential to solve the conflict, and to reach a new status quo with Russia. Progressive values of security, democracy and cooperation for mutual prosperity should guide EU actions vis-à-vis Ukraine and other countries in the Eastern Neighbourhood.
#113 FEPS Talks: The 21st century starts now: how EU diplomacy can solve the Ukraine-Russia conflict | FEPS Talks podcast - Listen or read transcript on Metacast
