EU - Russia Relations: Effects of the 2014 Ukraine Crisis

Autor(en): Maxine David
Herausgeber: Stephen Aris, Matthias Neumann, Robert Orttung, Jeronim Perovic, Heiko Pleines, Hans-Henning Schröder, Aglaya Snetkov
Serie: Russian Analytical Digest (RAD)
Ausgabe: 158
Seiten: 5-8
Verlag(e): Center for Security Studies (CSS), ETH Zurich; Research Centre for East European Studies, University of Bremen; Institute for European, Russian and Eurasian Studies, George Washington University
Publikationsjahr: 2014

The 2014 Ukrainian crisis has laid bare the differences between the European Union and Russia, forcing these two actors to re-examine their relations with each other, as well as with those in the so-called shared neighbourhood. The violence seen in Ukraine and arguably supported by Russia has shaken the EU out of any complacency it may have felt about the benign influence and effects of its integration project. The question therefore has to be asked, where now for EU-Russia relations? This article examines precisely that question. Argument focuses on the EU in particular, concluding it has two important challenges ahead. First, it can only forge a unified Russia policy if it debates rather than ignores the different foreign policy beliefs of its member states. Second, the EU must confront the reality of Russia today and decide on a policy that can divert the two actors from their current conflictual path but without paying the price in respect of the EUs self-professed normative identity.

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