Russia & European security
Vladimir Putin's February 2022 invasion of Ukraine has upended European security. The invasion followed Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014 and eight years of conflict in the Donbas region of Ukraine. The EU has imposed sweeping sanctions on Russia and has assisted Ukraine, including by providing military assistance. Europe now needs a policy for relations with Russia that deters Moscow from further aggression and increases its own resilience, while leaving the door open to better relations if Russian policy changes.
Europe is bracing for a possible huge influx of refugees if Russia attacks Ukraine
16 February 2022
CNBC
"A small incursion would not create a large flow of refugees," said Luigi Scazzieri, a senior research fellow at the Centre for European Reform, a London-based think tank.
"But a large-scale invasion could potentially lead to millions of displaced. In terms of scale, it could look similar to 2015," when a million Syrians fled their country’s civil war, he said. "But we just don't know what Russia will do at this stage."
"But a large-scale invasion could potentially lead to millions of displaced. In terms of scale, it could look similar to 2015," when a million Syrians fled their country’s civil war, he said. "But we just don't know what Russia will do at this stage."
Sky News: UK ready to impose some severe economic consequences on Russia
15 February 2022
Ian Bond said the UK should keep supporting the Ukrainians, who are best-placed to defend their country...but it's too late to be thinking about sending armed forces in.
European diplomacy and the crisis over Ukraine: Limited options and the cohesion test
14 February 2022
Aspenia Online
As Vladimir Putin demands a new security order in Europe and Russian troops mass along Ukraine’s borders, the threat of a major conflict on the continent is real.
Putin’s Nord Stream 2 pipeline: The Stasi connection
12 February 2022
The Times
Ian Bond, director of foreign policy at the Centre for European Reform, has described this process as “Russia reversing our plumbing”.
DW News: Ukraine, Russia, Germany and France hold talks
10 February 2022
The hope for talks between France, Germany, Russia and Ukraine would be to come to a diplomatic solution for the Russia-Ukraine crisis, says Sophia Besch.
Germany's Russia problem: Ukraine crisis tests new government
31 January 2022
Financial Times
“Germany has persuaded itself, with Russian encouragement, that it has a special relationship with Moscow and a special responsibility for preserving peace in Europe,” says Ian Bond, director of foreign policy at the Centre for European Reform, a think-tank. “And [it] sees Ukraine’s freely-expressed interest in getting closer to the west as a secondary issue.”
US prepares ‘massive sanctions’ against Russia
26 January 2022
Independent (Ireland)
Ian Bond, director of foreign policy at the Centre For European Reform (CER), told a webinar that he was “pessimistic” about the prospects for invasion, and that he believed there was a very real risk that an invasion could lead to a new Cold War between Russia and western powers.
The EU's 'unforgivable failure' over Ukraine
25 January 2022
The Telegraph
Charles Grant from the Centre for European Reform says Germany will fall into line and back draconian sanctions if Mr Putin actually attacks. “Deep in their bones, the German political class are Atlanticist,” he said.
Putin will never have another chance like this to overthrow the European strategic order
23 January 2022
The Telegraph
“I don’t see anything on the economic front that would seriously frighten Putin,” said Ian Bond, a former ambassador and British security planner now at the Centre for European Reform.
This is a moment when the maximum amount of consolidation of society is very important for the survival of both Georgia and Ukraine
21 January 2022
Europe Time
ET: What are your expectations from the dialogue between the US and its allies and Russia? My expectations are very low because the two sides are talking about completely different subjects.
Fear of Russia brings new purpose and unity to NATO, once again
14 January 2022
The New York Times
“NATO is its member states, and it’s what allies make of it,” said Sophia Besch, a defense analyst in Berlin for the Centre for European Reform. “It’s not out of business because we didn’t let it, and we’ve changed its raison d’être to what are the major strategic concerns of the day.”
Judy Asks: Is Germany damaging Europe's position on Ukraine?
27 January 2021
Carnegie Europe
Germany has made it harder to achieve a united European response to Russia’s threats to Ukraine. No one wants a war in Europe, and everyone would like to find a peaceful outcome.