Description
This paper analyses the interaction between the EU and Russia throughout the war against Ukraine (2014 and 2022 onwards). In February 2022, Vladimir Putin announced the beginning of a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, taking place across land, sea, and air. The European Council, in its various formations, has been meeting regularly to discuss the situation in Ukraine. It condemned the invasion harshly. EU leaders asked Russia on numerous occasions to immediately cease its military actions, unconditionally withdraw all forces and military equipment from Ukraine and fully respect Ukraine’s territorial integrity, sovereignty, and independence. The EU significantly expanded its sanctions against Russia in response to the military aggression.
This paper analyses the impact of Russia’s actions on European security. It starts from the sanctions regime on Russia, assessing the ontological securitization process of Ukraine and Europe as a threat. Putin provoked a feeling of disruption and insecurity through acts, images and narratives derived from the masterful management of the cognitive and normative maps (Kinnvall et al. 2018), both of the Self (Russia) and the Other (EU) and of Russia as ontologically stronger than Europe. Contrary to what happened throughout the Cold War, Russia is not interested in spreading the communist message across the continent or pursuing military control of the whole of Europe; the objective is now to reshuffle and reshape the Continent’s liberal and security order.
