How Russia Shattered Europe's Post-Cold War Illusions

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has transformed Europe’s relations with Moscow and with Eastern Europe, as exemplified by the EU’s energy diversification and transformation of its foreign and security policies. The war has also laid bare Europe’s flaws, including its assumptions about the transition to liberal democracy following the Cold War and delusions about Putin’s worldviews. 

Rosa Balfour, director of Carnegie Europe, is joined by Thomas de Waal to unpack the current state of play, lessons to be learned from the past, and the future of relations between Brussels, Moscow, and Kyiv. A senior fellow at Carnegie Europe and an expert in Eastern Europe and the Caucasus region, Tom was formerly a journalist with the BBC, the Economist, and the Moscow Times.

Rosa Balfour (March 8, 2022). What Russia’s War in Ukraine Means for Europe. Carnegie Europe .

Serhii Plokhy (2015). The Gates of Europe: A History of Ukraine. Basic Books. 

Thomas Carothers. (January 2022). The End of the Transition Paradigm. Journal of Democracy. 

Shane Harris, Karen DeYoung, Isabelle Khurshudyan, Ashley Parker and Liz Sly (August 16, 2022). Road to War: U.S. Struggled to Convince Allies, and Zelensky, of Risk of Invasion. The Washington Post. 

Gwendolyn Sasse (September 13, 2022). Russia’s War in Ukraine: A Turning Point? Carnegie Europe