Publications

Diplomatic interactions between China and Russia remain frequent and take place at the highest levels. Between July and September, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov had as many as eight high-level meetings with their Chinese counterparts in various formats. The frequency of these meetings signals a strong focus from both sides on strengthening relations and expanding cooperation, exemplified by the first China–Russia consultation on the peaceful Uses of Outer Space Affairs, held on 8 August.

Significant political shifts can be expected in Georgia and Moldova if the October elections favor opposition forces. The Georgian legislative elections on October 26 may lead to a redistribution of political power, currently concentrated in the hands of the Eurosceptic ruling party, Georgian Dream.

Mario Draghi, the former President of the European Central Bank, recently unveiled a long-awaited plan aimed at invigorating Europe’s economic growth. Central to his proposal is a call for the European Union (EU) to adopt a genuine foreign economic policy. For this ambition to be realized, unity among the EU’s 27 member states on their approach to China policy is essential.

Ukrainian diplomacy in favour of sanctions against Russian military aggression, which began in February 2022, drew attention to threats linked to Russian hybrid operations in Europe. In this context, the EU experienced a geopolitical awakening, reflecting its internal vulnerabilities to the malign influence exerted unhindered by Russia on EU member states for decades.

The developments in the South China Sea have recently received more media attention than ever before. The region’s contested nature is not new: territorial claims by various countries have frequently placed it at the centre of disputes (e.g., in the first half of the 20th century, France formally declared that the Paracel and Spratly Islands belonged to the French Union).

Leaders and guests of the 75-year-old NATO alliance met in Washington DC on 10-11 July. The NATO Washington Summit Declaration released by the leaders highlights reinforces collective defence, new instruments to coordinate assistance and training to Ukraine and pledges significant but unspecified long-term support related to Ukraine’s irreversible path towards NATO membership. The NATO summit outcome assessments are discussed by experts Henrik Larsen and Prof. Tomas Janeliūnas from the Eastern Europe Studies Centre.

The transformation of “frozen conflicts” in the EU-Russia common neighbourhood around the Black Sea region is in full swing in some cases, and somewhat intact in others. The central factor in the changing geopolitical environment surrounding post-Soviet territorial conflicts remains the 2022 Russian war of aggression against Ukraine.

The three-part documentary series "Traitors", produced by Aleksey Navalny's associate Maria Pevchikh, was released on 16 April, 23 April and 1 May this year. According to Pevchikh, it is a screening of Navalny's manifesto published last year, which embodies the thoughts of the oppositionist who was killed in prison.

After the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, energy security became a particularly sensitive issue for Europe and seeking ways to abandon Russian energy resources became a priority. Events such as the bombing of the Nord Stream gas pipeline in September 2022 continued to increase attention to this topic in Europe. Such actions in times of war especially attract the attention of Western governments and associations.

Two years into the Russian full-scale war against Ukraine and 10 years after the occupation of Crimea and aggression in Donbas, it is important to keep following the opinions of Ukrainian experts. This paper provides an overview of gathered written, spoken, or just empirically observable opinions among Ukrainian professionals, of how they perceive the current vector of the war, international and domestic Ukrainian politics.

Russian attacks and advances in Ukraine make it increasingly uncomfortable for NATO to stand passively on the sideline. NATO remains unlikely to take steps toward Ukraine’s accession but is now considering taking over the coordination of weapons supplies and training and creating a dedicated fund to sustain them long-term.

The presidential and parliamentary (Legislative Yuan, 立法院) elections of the Republic of China (Taiwan) took place on 13 January without any major intrigue. Out of three candidates, Lai Ching-te (賴清德), the vice-president of outgoing President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), was elected President of Taiwan.