May 22, 2017

Russia's main target is not the US or NATO but the EU

“It is not Russian military power that is threatening us, it is Russian political power,” George Kennan once said in a speech to the Army War College in 1947. Similarly, Russian leaders today undoubtedly fear the further expansion of NATO eastward. But they also consider the European Union (EU) to be their primary strategic competitor.

This fact is often overlooked by policymakers on this side of the Atlantic as Washington focuses its attention on Russia’s actions in Syria and Ukraine or its interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. But Washington should do more — in concert with Europe — to protect the EU from Russian meddling, influence and subversion.

Read the full commentary in The Hill.

  • Reports

    Transatlantic Security

    The Russia Stability Tracker

    In February 2023—one year into Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine—the Center for a New American Security convened a group of leading U.S. experts on Putin’s Rus...

    By Andrea Kendall-Taylor

    • September 29, 2026
  • Podcast

    Transatlantic Security

    Russian Hybrid Attacks and Europe's Response

    Europe is facing an escalation in high-profile Russian hybrid attacks. Earlier this month, Germany attributed an attempted drone attack at Leipzig Airport to Moscow, Denmark a...

    By Andrea Kendall-Taylor & Jim Townsend

    • September 25, 2026
  • Podcast

    Transatlantic Security

    Sep 25, ’26 Washington Roundtable

    Jim Townsend, adjunct senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security, joins the Defense & Aerospace Report Podcast to discuss Pentagon officials engaging defense ...

    By Jim Townsend

    • September 25, 2026
  • Podcast

    Transatlantic Security

    A Rearmed Germany's Place in Europe

    Today we are taking a closer look at Germany as it returns to military power. As the United States pulls back from Europe and threats of Russian aggression are heightened, Ger...

    By Andrea Kendall-Taylor & Jim Townsend

    • September 18, 2026

View All Reports View All Articles & Multimedia