Regional Repercussions of the Ukraine Crisis: Challenges for the Six Eastern Partnership Countries

Russia’s new assertiveness has sent shockwaves throughout the Eastern Neighborhood of the European Union. In this Europe Policy Paper, six experts from the region examine the consequences of the Ukraine crisis for each of the Eastern Partnership (EaP) countries, which have all encountered serious societal, political, and security-related challenges. Consequently, the EU and United States must focus their attention not only on Ukraine, but also on the other countries in the region, in order to reduce the implications of the current crisis and to develop a long-term regional approach that fosters security, stability, and democracy.

The country analyses, edited by Alina Inayeh, Daniela Schwarzer, and Joerg Forbrig, highlight the importance for EU and U.S. cooperation to mitigate the security risks posed by frozen conflicts in EaP countries and Russia’s recent aggression in its Near Abroad. The authors contend that the region requires a security architecture that accounts for these challenges, and call on the West to exhibit resolute action that will provide solutions to these protracted conflicts. Further, the EU should revise its regional policy in ways that will allow it to help Eastern Neighborhood to unlock its economic and social potential, while also addressing the various political and societal hindrances that the Ukraine crisis has exposed.