Westlessness: Lessons from the Western Balkans (Commentary)

Majda Ruge - 20 February 2020

The EU’s interventions in the Western Balkans succeed only when key member states and the US act strategically and pull in the same direction.

The sanctions straitjacket on Russia’s defence sector (Commentary)

Gustav Gressel - 13 February 2020

Maintaining a self-sufficient defence-industrial complex has long been an uphill struggle for Russia – and recent sanctions have only steepened its climb.

Idlib chaos: The latest test for Turkish-Russian ties (Commentary)

Asli Aydıntaşbaş - 12 February 2020

Turkey and Syria are now at war – but the ultimate arbiter of what happens next is likely to be Vladimir Putin.

Russia’s Ukraine policy: Change to stay the same (Commentary)

Gustav Gressel - 03 February 2020

The Kremlin is losing long-time Ukraine policy chief, Vladislav Surkov. But his successor has more in common with “Putin’s Rasputin” than first meets the eye.

Unsettled union: The future of the Belarus-Russia relationship (Commentary)

Yauheni Preiherman - 21 January 2020

Minsk retains enough power to decline any Russian proposal it deems unacceptable – even if this results in a further rise in economic tension.

Will he stay or will he go? Putin’s role will change (Commentary)

Kadri Liik - 16 January 2020

A political transition has started in Russia. While preserving a powerful role for Vladimir Putin, 2024 might nonetheless bring about real-enough change. 

Top ten foreign policy trends in 2020 (Commentary)

Mark Leonard & Jeremy Shapiro - 03 January 2020

Top ten trends that will occupy European foreign policymakers in 2020

Paris - 24 Jan 20

Nous avons le plaisir de vous inviter à un Black Coffee Morning en présence d'Andrew Wilson, Gustav Gressel, Kadri Liik et Nicu Popescu.

Berlin - 11 Dec 19

Today we invite you for a black coffee morning session with Samuel Greene, co-author of "Putin v. The People - The Perilous Politics of a Divided Russia" and Russia-expert. The session will be chaired by ECFRs own Russia-expert Kadri Liik.

Berlin - 05 Nov 19

Experts present a new comprehensive proposal for a revision on the regional order addressing the issues which currently hurt the relationship between Russia and the West.

Rome - 04 Nov 19

How can the EU demonstrate resolve and respond to the interests of Russia, Turkey, Iran and Saudi-Arabia?

Paris - 17 Oct 19

Nous avons le plaisir de vous inviter à un Black Coffee Morning en présence de Kadri Liik, Sergey Utkin et Joanna Hosa.

Berlin - 09 Oct 19

Rountable discussion on european energy strategy and the role this plays in transatlantic relations. This event is in cooperation with the Atlantic Council and the Aspen Institute Germany.

Warsaw - 01 Oct 19

Invitation for the public debate on Ukrainian internal reforms and Kiev's relations with Europe

Reshuffling Russia's leadership - old wines in new bottles?

It came as a surprise when Russia’s government resigned just hours after Putin’s announced his plans for a possible referendum of constitutional changes. Host Mark Leonard is joined by Kadri Liik and Gustav Gressel to elaborate on the recent political changes that have happened in the world’ largest country over the course of just the past weeks. What role will Putin play in the future in Russia and on the global stage? Is there a change to recent the relationship between the EU and Moscow? And was does this all mean to Belarus, Ukraine and the NordStream 2 project?

Further read:

• "Will he stay or will he go? Putin’s role will change" by Kadri Liik
• "The last of the offended: Russia’s first post-Putin diplomats" by Kadri Liik

This podcast was recorded on 27 January 2020.

Bookshelf:

• "Brennender Enzian: Die Operationsplanung der NATO für Österreich und Norditalien 1951 bis 1960" by Dieter Krüger
• "Admissions" by Henry Marsh
• "When Breath Becomes Air" by Paul Kalanithi
• "Traditions and Trends in Global Environmental Politics; International Relations and the Earth" ed. by Olaf Corry & Hayley Stevenson

Listen online   

How to deal with our Western Balkan neighbours?

North Macedonia and Albania wanted to start negotiations with the EU after having been candidate countries since 2005 and 2014. But the enlargement plans seemed to have stalled especially after opposition from France.
Host Mark Leonard is joined by Susi Dennison, José Ignacio Torreblanca and Vessela Tcherneva to get to the bottom of things and the divisions particularly between France and Germany on this issue.

The podcast as recorded on 17 October 2019.

Bookshelf:

• The Age of Surveillance Capitalism" by Shoshana Zuboff
• "Spring" by Ali Smith
• "The light that failed" by Ivan Krastev & Stephen Holmes
• "State of the Union" Miniseries on BBC Two

Listen online   

Reaching out to Russia – joining hands or getting the mitten?

In this week’s podcast, Mark Leonard, Gustav Gressel and Kadri Liik analyse Macron’s plans and ideas for recreating the European security order, an initiative which he launched with a speech at the Ambassador’s conference this year. Moreover, according to French officials, France will instead of starting with a top-down plan, try to build European security from the bottom-up and see if there is a desire in Moscow to make progress on specific issues, one brick at a time. They have laid out a roadmap with five different areas: Disarmament, security dialogue, crisis management, values, and common projects.
Further read: “Emmanuel Macron’s very big idea on Russia” by Gustav Gressel, Kadri Liik, Jeremy Shapiro & Tara Varma

The podcast was recorded on 30 September 2019.

Bookshelf:

• “We Need to Talk About Putin. Why the West gets him wrong, and how to get him right” by Mark Galeotti
• “Psychopolitics. Neoliberalism and New Technologies of Power” by Byung-Chul Han

Listen online   

Europe's Eastern Neighbourhood: Ukraine and Moldova

Standing in for regular host Mark Leonard, Anthony Dworkin, senior policy fellow at ECFR, looks at Europe's Eastern neighbourhood and interaction with Russia. He is joined by Kurt Volker, executive director of the McCain Institute and US special representative for the Ukraine negotiations, and Nicu Popescu, Minister of Foreign Affairs for Moldova and former head of the Wider Europe program at ECFR. They look at the conflicts in Ukraine and Moldova, what the Ukrainians might learn from the Moldovans, and what role there is for Europe in the region.

The podcast was recorded on Tuesday, 25 June, 2019, at the side-lines of ECFR’s Annual Council Meeting in Lisbon.

Bookshelf 
• The Perfect Kill: 21 Laws for Assassins by Robert Baer
• A Little War That Shook the World by Ronald Asmus
• 1984 by George Orwell

Picture
US Special Representative for Ukraine Kurt Volker at President Zelensky's inauguration, on May 20th 2019. Photo by the Presidential Administration of Ukraine. Retrieved from www.president.gov.ua/photos/urochis…dentom-uk-2905. [CCA 4.0 international]

Listen online   

Ukraine Under President Zelensky

Podcast de notre débat du 21 mai « Ukraine Under President Zelensky » en présence de Victor Andruziv, directeur de l’Ukrainian Institute for the Future (UIF), Jana Kobzova, directrice politique à Rasmussen Global et modéré par Nicu Popescu, directeur du programme Europe Elargie de l’ECFR.

Listen online   

Crimea at five

Jeremy Shapiro is standing in for the regular host Mark Leonard and discusses the current situation in Crimea and relations between Russia and Ukraine with ECFR experts Kadri Liik and Nicu Popsecu. The podcast was recorded on 13 March 2019.

EU Radio is now also broadcasting this podcast on Tuesdays at 7pm and Wednesdays at 9am CET every week. You can listen to the station at euradio.fr.

Bookshelf:
We need to talk about Putin by Mark Galeotti 

History of the Russian Revolution by Leon Trotsky 

The Bully Pulpit: Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, and the Golden Age of Journalism by Doris Kearns Goodwin 

Listen online   

The US role in Syria

Anthony Dworkin steps in for Mark Leonard and discusses the US strategy in Syria with Asli Aydintasbas, Julien Barnes-Dacey and Jasmin El-Gamal. The podcast was recorded on 10 January 2019.

Listen online