June 10, 2022
Evolving Dynamics Within The Bloc, with Pierre Morcos and Jeremy Shapiro
As the war between Russia and Ukraine drags on with little progress toward a resolution, fractures are beginning to appear in the European response. While the European Union successfully came together to take swift and decisive action during the early stages of the conflict, unity has been harder to come by in recent weeks, with differing perceptions and attitudes leading to more frequent disagreements among member states. There has been particularly harsh criticism directed against Germany and France, which some have accused of taking an overly conciliatory approach toward Russia, pointing to evidence such as German hesitation to deliver weapons to Ukraine and French statements calling for the West not to “humiliate” Russia. As Berlin and Paris receive increasing pushback from other member states who advocate for a bolder policy of unreserved support for Ukraine, the prospects for continued unity appear much less certain going forward. Pierre Morcos and Jeremy Shapiro join Jim Townsend and Nick Lokker to make sense of these differing European perspectives on the Russia-Ukraine war.
Pierre Morcos is a visiting fellow in the Europe, Russia, and Eurasia Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies as well as a career diplomat with the French Foreign Service.
Jeremy Shapiro is the research director of the European Council on Foreign Relations, where he focuses on US foreign policy and transatlantic relations.
More from CNAS
-
NATO sees Russia as a ‘direct threat,’ but not China, says think tank
Video
Jim Townsend of the CNAS Transatlantic Security Program, who served as deputy assistant secretary of defense for Europe and NATO under the Obama administration, says Europe’s ...
By Jim Townsend
-
The Real Key to Victory in Ukraine
Commentary
This emerging war of attrition is more likely to come down to “sustainment”—the ability of each side to ensure a relentless influx of troops, ammunition, and heavy equipment t...
By Margarita "Rita" Konaev
-
Brussels Sprouts Live: Setting the Stage for Madrid
Podcast
Over the past several months, the NATO alliance has faced a tremendous challenge in responding to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. While allied cohesion has been consistently ...
By Andrea Kendall-Taylor, Jim Townsend, Julianne Smith, Steven Erlanger & David E. Sanger
-
Threading the needle on Ukraine’s EU integration
Commentary
EU leaders should think outside the box and consider a new “preparatory membership” scheme that promises staged progress toward full integration with the bloc....
By Nicholas Lokker
