Description
The full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 led to a significant deterioration in the European security environment. However, how Europe should respond not only in terms of assistance to Ukraine but also in respect to defending the European continent and providing a deterrent, and who has the ability to shape and lead that response is under question. In this regard it is necessary that all European countries step up and enhance their ability to provide for European defence. This is particularly the case for those countries who could do much more in respect to providing for European security, especially medium and large European countries who could undertake a leadership role, and those countries which have a knowledge of the region. Hence, this paper focuses on Germany and Poland, two central European countries whose security is interlinked with Eastern Europe, and their ability to provide regional security leadership. The paper asks how far do Germany and Poland's leadership roles converge or diverge in shaping security cooperation in the Central and Eastern European region regarding the Russian invasion of Ukraine? Thus, this research offers a novel examination of German and Polish security leadership in CEE, advances the application of role theory in security studies by combining it with leadership concepts, and explores the potential for German-Polish co-leadership in addressing regional security challenges.
