Russia’s War on Ukraine: There is Worse to Come (For the West as Well)

Summary:

EU leaders understandably hailed the Union’s response to the conflict in Ukraine with considerable enthusiasm. But Europe’s toughest challenges, like Ukraine’s, lay ahead of it. The EU needed to shield consumers and businesses from rising energy prices, free itself from dependency on imports of fossil fuels, strengthen deterrence against Moscow through more defence spending and military co-operation, and integrate millions of Ukrainian refugees into European countries. European governments, including the UK’s, would have to be honest with their populations: defending democracy in Europe would be expensive, and both consumers, industry and taxpayers would face additional burdens. Finally, European leaders needed to be clear that however the conflict ended, anything like a return to business as usual with this Russia, whether under Putin or another authoritarian leader, would be a mistake.

• Alternative Source 1

ESO Records

Cardiff EDC: Russian military invasion of Ukraine (2022) https://www.europeansources.info/record/russia-invades-ukraine-february-2022/

Commons Library Research Briefing: March 2022: The EU response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine https://www.europeansources.info/record/the-eu-response-to-the-russian-invasion-of-ukraine/

---