Europe’s Security Threats: Ukraine Revisited

Abstract

In the particular case of Ukraine, the Union’s failure to conclude a landmark Association Agreement with the country in 2013 and its incapacity to avert Russia’s aggressive policies and actions in the region afterwards – as was Russia’s annexation of Crimea and Sevastopol the current clashes in the east of the country – raised serious questions about EU’s global as well as regional power. This article seeks to answer the following questions: Is the European Union ready to play a pivotal role in its neighbourhood and in the world? What are the lessons that Europe must draw from the Ukraine conflict in order to achieve a comprehensive, efficient and credible external policy?