Ukraine

Those who need a compass have usually lost their bearings before – and this is certainly true of the European Union (EU) and its Common Foreign and Security Policy. At least this is what a new basic document puts forward, with which the European Union more or less openly admits to having operated at various levels and for many years with strategies and concepts that had no “reasonable” relation to one another. The “Strategic Compass”1 (SC) adopted at the EU summit on 25 March 2022 is intended to provide an explanation ...
read more "A Strategic Compass for Europe’s Return to Power Politics"
Duroyan Fertl interviews Christine Lundgaard about the war in UkraineRussia's invasion of Ukraine is an unacceptable violation of international law, posing serious questions about how best to respond. In a climate of increasing tension and militarisation, is it possible to oppose Putin’s aggression while maintaining a perspective of peace and disarmament? The Danish government is also using the crisis in Ukraine to further deepen military with the US and to remove the country’s ...
read more "“The Danish government has used fear of Russia’s brutal war to rush through major policy changes”"
Duroyan Fertl interviewed Pinja Vuorinen about the war in UkraineRussia's war of aggression against Ukraine grossly violates international law and thus leads to new discussions on how to deal with Russia. As a result, Finland and Sweden are closer than ever to join NATO. If Finland were to join NATO, the Western military alliance's land border with Russia would double. The most significant consequence in Finland regarding the Russia-Ukraine war has been the question of NATO membership, says Pinja ...
read more "“The most significant consequence in Finland has been the question of NATO membership”"
As in other European countries, the Russian attack on Ukraine provoked a lot of emotions in Belgium. The Belgian Prime Minister, Alexander De Croo, immediately condemned the aggression as “one of the darkest moments since the Second World War”. On February 24, the day Russian tanks rolled into their neighbouring country, De Croo (from the Dutch-speaking liberal party ‘Open VLD’), addressed the federal parliament: “What is at stake today is nothing less than peace and security in Europe […] Together with our allies we will ...
read more "Belgium’s response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine"
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A Strategic Compass Leading Where?

Axel Ruppert, RLS Brussels
The dangers of EU militarisation under French leadership***Version française ci-dessous*** In the shadow of Putin’s revanchist war in Ukraine and its multifold consequences for Europe’s security architecture, member states are developing the European Union’s first full-fledged military strategy. The “Strategic Compass” championed by French President Macron – whose government currently holds the rotating presidency of the EU Council – would substantially advance the militarisation of the European Union. Swept up by domestic political ...
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No to War — Solidarity with the People of Ukraine!

Johanna Bussemer, Fabian Wisotzky, Boris Kanzleiter
Russia’s invasion of large parts of Ukraine not only marks the sad culmination of the end of all peace policy efforts in Eastern Europe since 1990, but also confronts left-wing forces around the world with a challenging test. As important as it is to adhere to the basic values of left-wing politics by calling for diplomacy over war and including Russia in a new European security architecture, we must acknowledge that the current Russian government has nothing to do with these basic values. The war against Ukraine with all its consequences ...
read more "No to War — Solidarity with the People of Ukraine!"
For the coming weeks, RLS Brussels Office will publish clips from colleagues, comrades, and friends from Europe and beyond giving personal impressions of the crisis, the measures, living and coping. Sashko Protyah, Documentary Filmmaker talks about the confinement in Ukraine.