In a first for Europe since 🇷🇺's invasion of Ukraine, France and Germany are sending Western-made armored fighting vehicles to 🇺🇦. Our
@AtlanticCouncil
experts break down what this could mean.
🗳 Recent polling shows that the Russian invasion of 🇺🇦 has sparked profound shifts in European and US public opinion. Read the 🧵 for a country-by-country breakdown ⬇️ (1/8)
“If we were to accept for one moment that Putin could be successful in Ukraine, that he would get Kyiv, that he get would the whole country, it won’t end there," said 🇳🇱 PM Mark Rutte
@MinPres
. "History has taught us that.”
Recap the
#ACFrontPage
🔽
📅 REGISTER, Apr 19, 9am ET | Italy's Chief of Defense Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone joins
@StarlingCG
to discuss the future of security in Europe & the Mediterranean and developments in 🇮🇹 defense planning.
Join us in-person:
@ACMideast
@Ipsos
🇩🇪: A historic shift—78% of Germans support 🇩🇪’s landmark defense policies announced on Sunday. More than 60% of Germans view Putin differently following the 🇺🇦 invasion. 81% perceive 🇷🇺 as a threat to Germany’s security.
Source:
@derspiegel
👉 (4/8)
🗣️ On the Association of the Serbian Municipalities,
@aliciakearns
doesn't see the ASM as the right approach for 🇽🇰, however as it has been agreed on "it is important it doesn't become a new Republika Srpska".
Full
#BalkansDebrief
with
@IlvaTare
:
🇺🇸: 77% believe US should place additional economic sanctions on 🇷🇺 (up from 69% last week) and over 2/3 believe Russian President Putin is most to blame for the crisis (up from 50% last week).
Source:
@Ipsos
👉 (3/8)
🇬🇧: The percentage of Brits who view 🇷🇺 as a “hostile threat” almost doubled following the invasion, from 34% to 64%. The share of Brits seeing 🇺🇸 as a “friend and ally” rose from 36% to 50%.
Source:
@YouGov
👉 (2/8)
🇸🇪 "What the ongoing Aurora 2023 exercise demonstrates is that Sweden’s military capabilities and geography make it a key security provider for the northeastern flank and for the Alliance as a whole," write
@AnnwieAnna
&
@eadamson91
.
Read more:
@Ipsos
@derspiegel
@RKefferputz
🇫🇷: 88% are shocked by Moscow’s invasion. 41% believe 🇫🇷 should send military & humanitarian equipment to 🇺🇦. 50% trust President Macron’s handling of the crisis—significantly more than rival presidential candidates.
Source
@BFMTV
: 👉 (6/8)
Pres Zelenskyy’s application for 🇺🇦 to join the EU and the 🇪🇺Parliament’s vote welcoming Ukraine’s candidacy have sparked a trend as Georgia & Moldova have also now applied for membership.
Does this mean 🇺🇦, 🇬🇪, & 🇲🇩 are becoming
#EU
members? Not quite..🧵Thread (1/8)
We are delighted to announce
@DaveKeating
as a new nonresident senior fellow! Dave keeps a pulse on the EU and explains European politics with France24. Catch Dave on Twitter, TV, and in the press:
🇫🇮: Finnish polls indicate historic shifts in attitude to
#NATO
membership. For the first time ever, a majority (53%) support 🇫🇮 joining NATO. In 2017, only 19% were in favor of joining the Alliance.
Source:👉 (7/8)
It was a pleasure to host
@DavidLammy
today on his visit across the pond to Washington for a look at 🇺🇸-🇬🇧 relations and his perspectives on the future of British foreign policy
We're delighted to announce that
@IlvaTare
is joining the Europe Center as a nonresident senior fellow. Welcome to the
@AtlanticCouncil
, Ilva!
Checkout Ilva's bio here ⬇️
It was a pleasure to host 🇩🇪
@Team_Luftwaffe
's Lt. Gen. Ingo Gerhartz on his visit to Washington to discuss transatalntic & 🇺🇸-🇩🇪 military cooperation and the upcoming Air Defender 2023 exercise in Germany.
Check out our work on all things Germany:
ICYMI: Last week, we hosted
@sikorskiradek
for a conversation on the new government's priorities, Ukraine, and the US-Poland relationship.
Check out the event ⤵��
📅 Watch
#BalkansDebrief
with
@IlvaTare
tomorrow as she talks with
@aliciakearns
about the recent escalation between 🇽🇰 and 🇷🇸, and the 🇪🇺-🇺🇸-🇬🇧 response to the September 24th attack in north of Kosovo.
@Ipsos
@derspiegel
This change in 🇩🇪 thinking will usher in new debates about Germany’s strategic culture that policymakers in Berlin must confront, argues
@RKefferputz
. Read his analysis of the sea change in Germany: (5/8)
We are delighted to welcome
@PaoloMessa
as a Europe Center fellow to help shape Italy's critical role in the transatlantic community.
Check out his latest article on 🇮🇹's
#G7
presidency:
🇽🇰-🇺🇸: Today we hosted Kosovo Foreign Minister
@gervallaschwarz
for a dynamic discussion on the way to move forward in the 🇪🇺-facilitated dialogue and 🇽🇰-🇺🇸 relations.
@RoryStewartUK
"The UK is very much not doing enough. By comparison... to Canada... and the United States... Britain has committed to take 20,000 vulnerable Afghans, but has not brought this scheme to fruition."
Great to bring the
@AtlanticCouncil
Europe Center team together in Washington from around the globe to plan for an exciting fall and beyond. Stay tuned for all things transatlantic 🇺🇸🤝🇪🇺
We're so thrilled to share that
@AtlanticCouncil
will honor multi-Grammy Award-winning artist
@DUALIPA
for her musical achievements & commitment to empowering the next generation of Balkan leaders! Tune into
@ACEurope
tomorrow, Nov 10th, at 7:00pm EST to watch.
#ACawards
Join us June 11th for “Greece as a Geostrategic Ally.”
@USAmbPyatt
,
@simos_a
, and George Chouliarakis, moderated by
@KaterinaSokou
, will discuss Greece’s critical involvement in NATO amid rising competition in the Eastern Mediterranean. RSVP:
Today we're launching an exciting new opportunity for Central Europeans: the Atlanticist Fellowship! Learn more about the application and apply today at
#AtlanticistFellowship
NATO membership for 🇸🇪 and 🇫🇮 "would demonstrate that Russia cannot rule by intimidation or deny European nations the right to make sovereign decisions about their own security."
@ErikBrattberg
makes the case for Sweden and Finland's NATO membership:
What triggered the rising tensions in Serbia after December 17th elections? In a new
#BalkansDebrief
,
@IlvaTare
speaks to
@rasaned
from
@CRTArs
to discuss the election manipulation accusations and the demands for annulment from the protesters.
LIVE—An
#ACFrontPage
conversation with Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo
@albinkurti
and
@dmarusic
discussing Kosovo's efforts to fight corruption, talks with Serbia, and steps towards joining the EU
@RoryStewartUK
@RoryStewartUK
"Remember that Nazi Germany allowed Jews to leave in earlier periods. That doesn't mean they weren't at risk at persecution... We can't assume that just because [the Taliban may let at-risk people] leave now, they may not do so [for much longer]."
"Germany has woken up. Now, it must stay awake."
@RachelRizzo
and Jörn Fleck break down the news on Germany's precedent-shattering shifts in defense spending, arming Ukraine, and the Nord Stream 2 pipeline.
🇫🇮-🇸🇪: "Finnish accession to NATO without Sweden would leave the Alliance with a strategic challenge in the middle of the Baltic Sea region," write
@eadamson91
and
@minna_alander
.
Read more 🔽
🗣️
@lea_ypi
says elites in E. Europe approach historical injustice in a “disingenuous way” and that the search for truth “should be brought forward by actors in society that do it for the right reason.”
Catch the full
#BalkansDebrief
with
@IlvaTare
:
#ACFrontPage
EVENT- THURSDAY, 9:00 am EDT / 15:00 hrs CEST
President of the Republic of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić
@predsednikrs
will discuss Serbia's domestic agenda and foreign policy priorities with
@Maja_Piscevic
and
@DamonMacWilson
.
REGISTER HERE⬇️
What would a realist British foreign policy be? For this week's
@AtlanticCouncil
#BritainDebrief
, Senior Fellow
@b_judah
spoke to
@PatPorter76
about UK grand strategy and the great powers, Johnson's foreign policy, and dangers of seeking a "global" role.
We are thrilled that 🇪🇪 Prime Minister
@kajakallas
will join the Europe Center and
@EUintheUS
as guest speaker for our upcoming
#EUDFF23
to share a view from Tallinn and the larger Baltic region on the geopolitical challenges threatening the transatlantic security.
🇪🇺🤝🇺🇸
At a Paris conference on European support for Ukraine,
@EmmanuelMacron
stole headlines after mentioning the possibility of sending troops to 🇺🇦.
But what was actually accomplished at the meeting?
@AllardLeonie
shares her thoughts:
We're thrilled to announce that
@MBAndrijanic
is joining the Europe Center team as our newest nonresident senior fellow! Welcome back to the
@AtlanticCouncil
!
Keep up with
@MBAndrijanic
's latest commentary & analysis:
@benjaminhaddad
@AmbDanFried
@SophiaBesch
@b_judah
@dmarusic
"The mood among Germans... are very openly shocked, stunned, and shaken about the world and Germany's role in it... It is possible that this is the beginning of how Germany sees Russia and... I have to say, I understand and share the frustration of our allies."
@SophiaBesch
So what’s the process?
1⃣ 🇺🇦 submits an application to the Council (🇺🇦did this)
2⃣ 🇪🇺Commission issues an opinion if 🇺🇦 complies with set criteria
3⃣ If the opinion is positive, the Council must agree unanimously to grant 🇺🇦 candidate status
More: 3/9
🇪🇺 "European countries have been struggling for years to build cohesion and ambition on defense. Putin made it happen in three days." 🇺🇦
Nonresident senior fellow
@jeangene_vilmer
details the price of Putin's war in Ukraine.
🇸🇪 "What the ongoing Aurora 2023 exercise demonstrates is that Sweden’s military capabilities and geography make it a key security provider for the northeastern flank and for the Alliance as a whole," write
@AnnwieAnna
&
@eadamson91
.
Read more:
"With twenty-nine allies already having ratified 🇸🇪’s membership, failure to fully admit Sweden undermines unity within the Alliance and makes
@NATO
look weak and fragmented," write
@AnnwieAnna
&
@eadamson91
.
Read more 🔽
"🇸🇪 & 🇫🇮's NATO membership completely remakes the Alliance’s Northeastern flank, significantly contributing to the defense of the Baltic States and Arctic,” write
@eadamson91
&
@minna_alander
in
@KKrVA_Sverige
.
Read more 🔽
🚨 BREAKING NEWS - Today the European Commission unveiled two long-awaited legislative proposals—the Digital Services Act (DSA) and Digital Markets Act (DMA).
What are the new draft rules? Why do they matter for the transatlantic partnership? Follow our 🧵 to learn more. (1)
Read → Ambassador Dan Fried and Senior Fellow
@anders_aslund
discuss “The Kremlin Report”, a list of Russian oligarchs and their wealth and business interests to be published by the Treasury Department on Jan. 29th: (via
@vicenews
)
@AtlanticCouncil
🇫🇮-🇸🇪: "Finnish accession to NATO without Sweden would leave the Alliance with a strategic challenge in the middle of the Baltic Sea region," write
@eadamson91
and
@minna_alander
.
Read more 🔽
How will Germany’s new China strategy develop?
@noahbarkin
joins
@RachelRizzo
for an
#AtlanticDebrief
to discuss relations with China in view of Germany’s strategic dependencies and China’s challenges to the international rules-based system
Great to host Estonian Foreign Minister
@Tsahkna
for a conversation on European security, from the 20th anniversary of NATO expansion to eastern Europe to 🇪🇪's role in the transatlantic alliance.
📅 Jan. 12, 10:30 am |
@BorisJohnson
joins the
@AtlanticCouncil
for a discussion on the role of Western unity and support for Ukraine.
Register & join us 🔽
On July 16 at 4pm we kick off our flagship Central Europe conference w/ the US launch of
@AtlanticCouncil
&
@GLOBSEC
's report: The United States and Central Europe: Tasks for a Second Century Together () RSVP:
#StrongerWithAllies
🧵: “The Kremlin’s invasion may have slowed to a war of attrition against the Ukrainian military—but it still has enough tools at its disposal to escalate the war,” write
@dmarusic
,
@gorillawetzel
, &
@Francis_W_Shin
.
See the thread 🔽 for options to respond to 🇷🇺 escalation:
"The problem of an unreliable 🇭🇺 will long outlast this foot-dragging over 🇸🇪 and 🇫🇮," writes
@PetrVTuma
, "and allies should start looking for appropriate tools to deal with an outlier that’s weakening the system from within."
Read more 🔽
New year, new us! We're thrilled to announce that on Feb. 2, we'll launch the Europe Center. We have exciting changes ahead this spring, but this hasn't changed: we're still promoting transatlantic relations with a strong Europe to tackle common challenges
🇲🇪-🇺🇸: Today we hosted 🇲🇪 Foreign Minister
@fivanovicpg
for a discussion on his country's 🇪🇺 path, the state of the 🇪🇺 enlargement, and Western Balkans regional integration and cooperation.
We're thrilled to announce that
@ValbonaZeneliTo
is joining the Europe Center team as our newest nonresident senior fellow! Welcome to the
@AtlanticCouncil
, Valbona!
Keep up with Valbona's latest commentary & analysis:
"There is reason to doubt that the urgently needed de-risking with respect to China will now take place."
How is 🇩🇪 thinking about preparing for conflict with 🇨🇳?
@n_roettgen
shares his thoughts⤵️
#FranceVotes
for its next president this Sunday.
@RachelRizzo
interviews
@GerardAraud
and
@BenjaminHaddad
who discuss takeaways from last night's presidential debate + the potential implications of this election on France's foreign policy 🇫🇷🗳️
Thank you to Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Radmila Šekerinska for joining us at
@AtlanticCouncil
today to discuss Macedonia’s defense priorities, threats to regional stability, and prospects for
#NATO
accession!
#StrongerWithAllies
🇸🇪 & 🇫🇮 bring many capabilities to
#NATO
. To fully seize opportunities, regional Allies must use their collective weight to set the agenda & secure resources to benefit all Allies’ security, argue
@AnnwieAnna
,
@eadamson91
, &
@Jesperlehto
.
Read more 🔽
If negotiations close, an accession treaty can be signed. The treaty must have the support of the 🇪🇺Council,
Commission, and Parliament. It must also be ratified by all 🇪🇺members.
Timeline? At least 5 years
See how long Croatia’s entry took: 6/8
Tuesday, 4pm ❗
Czech Foreign Minister
@JanLipavsky
joins
@AmbDanFried
to share the view from Prague on Ukraine, Russia, and how to bolster the transatlantic alliance.
Sign up 🔽
We’re recruiting candidates for another
#AtlanticistFellowship
—applications due May 25! Visit our website for the application and more information about the program:
@AtlanticCouncil
📆 Mark your calendars for Nov. 18 at 8:30 a.m. EST!
@markizaypeter
, the newly elected leader of the Hungarian opposition will join us for a spotlight interview as part of
#CentralEuropeWeek
.
REGISTER HERE ⬇️
🇪🇺 accession is a fundamentally member state-driven process via the European Council, where each member state is represented, not the European Parliament (and the EP’s resolution lacks legal force)
More on the distinction here: 2/8
🇪🇺 "The war in Ukraine is a turning point...This moment should help us move beyond old taboos." 🇺🇦
@benjaminhaddad
+
@maxbergmann
on how the EU should bolster Europe's defense capabilities.
We were excited to welcome
@JanLipavsky
back to the
@AtlanticCouncil
today for a conversation on Central European leadership in the transatlantic response to Ukraine.
In 2017, France withstood a coordinated misinformation campaign meant to undermine the candidacy of Emmanuel Macron and interfere with other national elections.
#DigitalSherlocks
French Minister of State for European Affairs
@CBeaune
on the future of Europe after COVID-19: "Europeans know that they must once again speak the language of power, without losing sight of the grammar of cooperation."
Read the essay here:
🗣️ “The police are afraid of the citizens and vice versa... the regular police also don’t feel safe because they don’t have relations with the community and it's really a recipe for disaster” says
@AndricRakic
on
#BalkansDebrief
with
@IlvaTare
.
Full show:
Is there a political will to normalize the relations between Kosovo and Serbia?
@IlvaTare
speaks to
@timjudah1
who recently visited the north of Kosovo amid the latest crisis.
🚨WATCH NOW🚨
How can 🇺🇸 and 🇮🇹 chart the next century of diplomatic relations? Tune in as
@madeleine
and Former Prime Minister Giuliano Amato discuss!
#ItalyUS160
WATCH:
LIVE | Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs
@sikroskiradek
joins us for a conversation on the new government's vision for Poland's foreign and security policy.
📅Tune in to
#BalkansDebrief
with
@IlvaTare
on Friday at 10am ET, as she speaks to
@USAmbKosovo
about the ASM implementation in 🇽🇰 and the 🇺🇸 perspective on the 🇪🇺 facilitated dialogue between 🇽🇰-🇷🇸.