Europe Moving Eastward? The Changing Dynamics in the EU and NATO Following the War in Ukraine
Journal: East European Politics and Societies and Cultures
Year: 2026

Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022 significantly changed one of the most important dynamics with the EU and NATO. Until then, policy toward Russia had been a fraught issue between the older Western European members and the more recent members from Central and Eastern Europe. While the former had prioritized economic relations, the latter had generally warned about the continued danger of Russian aggression. This debate had continued even after Russia’s first attacks on U