Vladimir Putin’s announcement of a partial military mobilisation in Russia reinforces the idea that the Ukraine war will not end quickly and that Ukraine and its partners need to prepare for a long war. The Kremlin is sending a clear signal to the West that it will do whatever it takes to succeed—or at least not to fail. For Ukraine to survive and thrive in the long-war, the EU and its member states should formulate a comprehensive mechanism to support their eastern neighbour. In doing so, Europeans can lay the foundations for a functioning Ukraine, deter Russia from further aggression, and perhaps even point the way toward a settlement of the conflict.
In this week’s episode, Mark Leonard is joined by ECFR's Piotr Buras, Gustav Gressel, Kadri Liik, and Jeremy Shapiro to describe and debate the potential military, security, and economic aspects of the long-war plan. Why is investment in industrial warfare supply chains so crucial? How can security assurances for Ukraine enhance deterrence and reduce the potential for escalation? And finally, why should the EU provide medium-term access for Ukraine to the European single market?
This podcast was recorded on 20 September 2022.
Further reading:
Survive and thrive: A European plan to support Ukraine in the long war against Russia, by Piotr Buras, Marie Dumoulin, Gustav Gressel & Jeremy Shapiro
https://ecfr.eu/publication/survive-and-thrive-a-european-plan-to-support-ukraine-in-the-long-war-against-russia/
Bookshelf
- “Essays” by George Orwell
- “Jerusalem: The Biography” by Simon Sebag Montefiore
- “The Habsburg Empire: A New History” by Pieter M. Judson
- “The Found and the Lost: The Collected Novellas of Ursula K. Le Guin” by Ursula K. Le Guin