The Black See plays a key role in the Russian aggression on Ukraine. Together with the Caucasus, it also has an important role for the EU and NATO. Despite its crucial location, political and economic significance, the West has neglected the area, as argued by Wilfried Jilge, an expert on Eastern Europe, Ukraine and the Black Sea Region at the Center of International Peace Operations in Berlin. Interview conducted by John Beauchamp, a long-time radio journalist and the voice of the Warsaw Metro.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has attracted more controversy than his predecessors when it comes to Ukraine. Most renowned for his business credentials, the UK’s new leader has pursued a quieter approach to the conflict. However, does this reality amount to a simple change in style or a fundamental shift?

Now faced with fighting a war through a brutal winter, Ukraine should appear exhausted, weary and ready to give in. However, such a pessimistic view remains far from the truth. Speaking to people on the ground, it is clear that such suffering has only made the Ukrainians more determined to win.

Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine has encouraged Central Asian states to strengthen their multi-vector orientation of foreign policies. Looking to take advantage of this new reality, the EU and European states have now increased their engagement within the region and beyond. Despite the efforts, it is clear that the new environment will not be recalibrated and stabilised overnight.

The unforeseen consequence of the decisions made by Russia's power wielding elites could be the emergence of something entirely new.

Not only Ukrainian frontline soldiers will be in need of psychological support during and after the ongoing war. A national programme focusing on mental health for the home front is currently being developed under the patronage of the president's wife.

The end of the balance of power in the EU with policies decided by so-called “old Europe” could be one key consequence of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. This ongoing shift needs to result in a strategic alliance between Poland and Germany. However, is this possible?

The Russo-Ukrainian War, which on February 24th 2022 transitioned from a hybrid phase to full-scale conventional war, is not only attracting the attention of the whole world. It also gives us reason to think about what the configuration of relations between the two states will be after the end of the war – a war in which only one of the states may have a chance to survive intact.

The ideological underpinnings of the Russo-Ukrainian War are contradictory. On the one hand, Russian President Vladimir Putin published his article “On the Historical Unity of Russians and Ukrainians” last summer, which was filled with amateur arguments about the Ukrainians’ lack of right to their own statehood. On the other hand, on February 24th 2022, Putin, among other things, declared the need for the "denazification of Ukraine", though he failed to find an adequate explanation for this thesis. Official Russian ideology allows for combining the rhetoric of a “fraternal people” with the “Nazi regime that prevails in Ukraine”.

Any normalisation of relations with Russia will only take place once Moscow gives up its imperial ambitions and pays for its crimes. There should be no notion of a new policy towards the Kremlin without change at the top and the complete removal of its threat to European security. We cannot repeat the mistakes of 1991.

Germany’s post-reunification Ostpolitik has ended in a national and European disaster. A policy that was supposed to foster peace, stability and reconciliation has resulted in war and an energy crisis. This is not to say that Germany is to blame for the aggression against Ukraine. The responsibility clearly lies with the criminal policies of Vladimir Putin and his regime. Nevertheless, Berlin needs to accept that post-reunification Ostpolitik, especially in the last 15 years, helped to enable the Kremlin to pursue its attacks on neighbours.

Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine in 2022, segments of the US foreign policy elite have been encouraging Ukraine to pursue peace with Russia. This encouragement would be one thing if it was done with Ukraine’s best interests at heart. However, a read through many publications by certain individuals reveals a patronising tone that often ignores the needs of a country fighting for its existence.

An interview with Bohdan Monich, chairman of the Ukrainian Council of Judges. Interviewer: Serhiy Bosak

A dispatch from Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second city, which has been under constant shelling for much of the war.