An online panel debate, co-hosted by the European Institute and UCL School of Slavonic and East European Studies (SSEES), to consider the implications of war in Ukraine for the future of European society, security and integration.
04:33 Introduction from Dr Olesya Khromeychuk (Chair)
09:22 Professor Andrew Wilson
19:07 The Rt Hon Sir David Lidington KCB CBE
37:17 Georgina Wright
45:20 Dr Rosa Balfour
58:54 Q&A
“Europe will be forged in crises and will be the sum of the solutions adopted for those crises” – Jean Monnet
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has brought devastation to the country, mounting casualties and massive displacement of civilians. The conflict, itself bound up with Ukraine’s turn away from Russia toward a European future, has also transformed Europe irrevocably and brought to an end the post-Cold War era. Up to now, Europe’s response has been one of unexpected unity, from wide-ranging economic sanctions against Russia to the EU’s decision to grant temporary visa-free protection to Ukrainians fleeing the fighting.
The war has also upended previous policy assumptions, prompting a historic shift in Germany’s foreign, defence and energy policies, a more open approach to (Ukrainian) refugees in Central and Eastern Europe, closer cooperation between the EU and the UK, and a Ukraine determined eventually to accede to the European Union.
However, the conflict raises profound questions about the future of Europe. To what extent was this conflict foreseeable, and what lessons does it hold for Europe’s future role in the world? How might the war develop and how can Europe prepare for all scenarios, including escalation? Are Europeans doing enough and to what extent will the solidarity displayed in the early stages of this crisis prove sustainable, particularly as the economic fall-out of the war begins to bite? Will the crisis offer an opportunity to revitalise the European project? If so, according to whose vision? If not, what alternative futures might we face?
This event was recorded on 25 April 2022.
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