A Region at a Turning Point in History

For nearly a year, the wider Central, Eastern, Northern and Southern European region has been struggling with an energy crisis and economic crisis. It followed the start of Russia's full-scale aggression against Ukraine on 24 February 2022, however Russian President Vladimir Putin had already been implementing his hostile energy policy towards the West since autumn 2021, with the aim of testing energy as a potential tool of war, e.g. by artificially restricting supplies with the effect of driving up commodity prices.

Dynamic Duo for Destabilisation

The importance of integration both within the North Atlantic Alliance and the European Union formats has increased dramatically in recent times. Contrary to predictions, the war did not lead to the collapse of both NATO and the European Union itself. The so-called 'collective West', united, has survived the full-scale war taking place in its immediate vicinity. It is also capable of taking joint decisions. Two states stand out: one that is a member of the aforementioned international organisations and one that merely aspired to join the EU.