Recently, the contradictions between Russia and Belarus reached their peak: there were even talks
about a possible scenario for the absorption of Belarus by Russia. Clearly, Russia’s aggressive policy, aimed at rapprochement with the neighboring state, threatens not only the sovereignty of Belarus but also regional security in general and Ukraine in particular. The New Europe Center contacted well-known foreign researchers with the following question: «How can Russia’s policy towards Belarus affect regional security and how Ukraine and its Western partners should respond to these changes?»

The following experts answered our question: Andrew Wilson, Professor in Ukrainian studies at University College London, Senior Policy Fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR); Arkady Moshes, Programme director of the EU`s Eastern Neighbourhood and Russia research programme, Finnish Institute of International Affairs; Yauheni Preiherman, Head, Minsk Dialogue Track-II Initiative; Balazs Jarabik, Nonresident Scholar at Carnegie Europe; Ryhor Nizhnikau, Senior Research Fellow, Finnish Institute of International Affairs; Gustav Gressel, Senior Policy Fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations (Berlin).

You can find the PDF-version of this policy commentary here.

The paper was written within the Think Tank Development Initiative for Ukraine (TTDI), carried out by the International Renaissance Foundation in partnership with the Think Tank Fund of the Open
Society Initiative for Europe (OSIFE) with financial support of the Embassy of Sweden in Ukraine.
The views and opinions expressed in this paper are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the position of the Embassy of Sweden in Ukraine, the International Renaissance Foundation, and the Open Society Initiative for Europe (OSIFE)