Issue 3/2025: Negotiating peace?
To anyone who observes the situation in Ukraine and ongoing Russian attacks it is unfortunately crystal clear that the main obstacle to peace is the unwillingness to end the war by the Russian Federation. Read in the latest issue of New Eastern Europe.
May 6, 2025 -
New Eastern Europe
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Issue 3 2025Magazine
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As Donald Trump was fighting for his next presidency we often heard his promise that under his leadership Russia’s war against Ukraine would end in a day. Even if treated as a metaphor, this promise was to suggest that a fast ceasefire was possible. This vision, a dream for many, could not unfortunately come true. To anyone who observes the situation in Ukraine and ongoing Russian attacks it is unfortunately crystal clear that the main obstacle to peace is the unwillingness to end the war by the Russian Federation. Ukraine, on the other hand, has no choice but to continue its defence and resistance. With or without foreign aid.
As this issue went to print, no peace has been reached, despite the nearly 100 days of Trump’s presidency. We do not know, or have the ability to predict, how things will develop in the next 100 days. What we do know, however, is that in about 100 days the current package of US military aid will end and no talks of a new one are yet under way. This suggests that the autumn might be even harder for Ukraine. It is now agreed that Europe should step in as the United States is stepping out. This thinking is correct, provided there is enough political will on the continent and throughout European societies.
Faced with many uncertainties, we know that one thing is certain: something is coming to an end. It is the old world order, but also Transatlantic relations, where the United States played a crucial role, even that of a hegemon. This means that a new order will emerge at a certain point. Yet because we do not know yet what form it will take and what its leaders will be like, we experience anxiety and fear. And how worrisome of an emotion fear is for the societies we know from history. Let us thus bring the words of another US President, Franklin D. Roosevelt who famously said: ”The only thing we have to fear is fear itself”. The world belongs to the brave, as another saying goes. Let us not forget also this as we think about the future of our region in the months and years to come.
Contents
Negotiating peace?
Collectively, we are losing this war An interview with Serhiy Sydorenko
Russia’s war is undermining the world order Andreas Umland
Trump’s new political technology Andrew Wilson
Will Trump’s peace-making efforts increase the likelihood of a bigger war? Julia Kazdobina
Where do Ukrainians find the strength to stand? Olha Vorozhbyt
Anti-colonial hybrid defence. How Ukraine’s resistance fights in the occupied territories Omar Ashour
Why the Trump-Putin negotiations on Ukraine might bury the Eastern Partnership Tatevik Hovhannisyan
How Central and Eastern Europe perceives the Russian threat Andrea Pipino
A time for unconventional leaders. Croatian assistance to Ukraine Alexandra Karppi
North Macedonia’s US pivot raises questions about its EU ambitions Bojan Stojkovski
Essays and analysis
Fire in a Macedonian nightclub. A tragedy forged in corruption Jovan Gjorgovski
Rediscovering democracy in Serbia Andrej Ševo
With US support gone, Belarusian democratic organizations struggle to survive Hleb Liapeika
Fico’s precarious balancing act in Slovakia Jakub Ferencik
The 2024 Georgian elections and their geopolitical implications Vakhtang Maisaia
History and memory
The end of the “Big Brother” myth in Armenia Mikayel Zolyan
Twenty-five years on, the Yeltsin Centre shows Russia’s danger James C. Pearce
Stories and ideas
The faces of resilience Isabelle De Pommereau
Peace, not surrender. Under these conditions Ukrainians will return home Halyna Khalymonyk
Photo-story: NATO presence in Poland, the Alliance’s eastern front Omar Marques
Interviews
Overcoming the crisis of hope An interview with Agnieszka Holland
Europe is the only alternative An interview with Salome Zourabichvili
Fossil fuels are a geopolitical weapon An interview with Svitlana Romanko
