Publication

This policy brief reviews the history of EU-Russia relations from the 1990s-2014 and argues that a solution to the conflict in Eastern Ukraine is beyond reach. The author contends that Russian president Putin is using the war in Eastern Ukraine to suppress democracy and strengthen his hold on Russia. If this indeed is true, she argues, Putin's actions represent a world view that is at odds with that of the EU, making a compromise between the two entities difficult if not impossible. In this context, she then questions the effectiveness of the sanctions imposed by the EU and urges member states to present a united front if they want to make any headway.