Peace, defence and security

The UK government has used its response to the war in Ukraine as an opportunity to distance itself further from the EU, says Ros Taylor.

Some have labelled Russia’s war against Ukraine “the world’s first crypto war.” That might be overstating matters, but cryptocurrencies are certainly having an impact on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The ongoing suffering of the civilian population in Ukraine has led to calls for the EU, or individual Member States, to stop imports of Russian gas. The economic consequences of such a step would be very severe in the short run. But there is another way, more gradual, which would minimise economic disruptions. The EU should simply impose a special import tariff on Russian gas. Repost courtesy of EUIdeas.

With the EU’s ongoing purchase of Russian energy resources, the regime that is responsible for the current barbaric war in Ukraine is guaranteed a constant cash flow.  Proponents of an embargo want to maximise the economic and financial pressure on Putin and withdraw financing from the Russian war machine.

The primary goal must be to stop the war of aggression on Ukraine launched by Russia on 24 February 2022. The sanctions of EU and NATO countries are currently in contrast to the dependence on Russian raw material and energy supplies. Hundreds of millions of euros flow from Germany to Russia every day, counteracting the effect of the sanctions. This should now be an incentive to reassess the costs of more radical fossil fuel exit scenarios in the shortest possible time under crisis conditions.

6 April 2022 marks the 30th anniversary of the outbreak of the Bosnian War - the first war in Europe after World War 2. The reality in Bosnia and Herzegovina to this day is a succession of increasingly severe crises. The current war of aggression on Ukraine fuels the risk of destabilisation. The EU must support civil society and progressive parties in the country instead of continuing to seek deals with secessionist forces that deepen ethnic divides, dismantle the state and put peace at risk. On the 30th anniversary after the start of the war, we bring together positions of Bosnian civil society on German and European policies.

The inability to adequately sanction the criminal invasion of Ukraine by Russian President Putin painfully demonstrates Europe’s massive dependencies from fossil fuel imports. Phasing out fossil fuels is no longer “just” about fighting the climate crisis, but also a precondition for Europe’s energy sovereignty and price stability.

Since the start of Russia's war against Ukraine on 24 February 2022, three and a half million people have fled the country. A conversation with Tineke Strik MEP on the triggering of the EU Temporary Protection Directive and what chances and challenges come with it.

Digital technology plays a key role in the armed conflict in Ukraine – as a tool for cyberattacks and digital protest, and as an accelerator for information and disinformation.

Russia's ongoing war against Ukraine is a tragedy of an unprecedented scale. The struggle for independence of the Ukrainian society will go down in history, and the heroism and determination of the resistance movement will be remembered by successive generations of Europeans. These values ​are also dear to our Foundation. We are convinced that people who support our activities also want to help Ukraine. There is more than one way to do it.