Russia’s brutal attack on Ukraine continued without a breakthrough for either side. However, Ukrainian forces managed to drive the Russians back to the border in the area north of Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second biggest city.
On May 15, Finnish President Sauli Niinistö confirmed that his country would apply to become a member of NATO. The following day, Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson announced that Sweden would apply as well. It is now highly likely that both countries will enter NATO in lockstep within a matter of a few months. In contrast to earlier threats, Russian President Vladimir Putin reacted relatively mildly, saying that, while Russia had no issue with the countries joining, the expansion of military infrastructure would demand a reaction.
This week, we will discuss the military situation on the ground and Finland’s and Sweden’s path to NATO membership. We will assess Russia’s likely responses and the security implications for northern and eastern Europe, including for the role of Germany.
Speakers: Dr. Christian Mölling, Research Director and Head of the Security and Defense Program, German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP)
Dr. Kristi Raik, Director of the Estonian Foreign Policy Institute, International Centre for Defense and Security (ICDS)
Dr. András Rácz, Associate Fellow in the Security and Defense Program, German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP)
Moderator: Dr. Henning Hoff, Executive Editor, Internationale Politik Quarterly
Please register here. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the DGAP Morning Briefing via Zoom. Participants will be able to ask questions via Zoom’s question and answer function during the discussion. You will find information related to data processing at https://dgap.org/en/zoom.
Please note that this event will be recorded.
For any questions, please contact Yulia Loeva (events@dgap.org).