The invasion of Ukraine is probably the most important geopolitical event of the post-Cold War period, surpassing even the aftermath of September 11, 2001. For now, Russia has been placed by the international community in a position of almost total isolation, but that does not prevent what has happened, and what may still happen, from leading many to question the effectiveness of international law and current multilateral instruments.

At the same time, the European Union has reacted with remarkable cohesion, although the effectiveness of its foreign policy instruments is again being challenged. NATO, on the other hand, has been revalued in the current context, as has the relationship between the US and Europe, in a world that seemed increasingly centered on the Pacific. Although this war has made clear the need to reinforce the European Union’s military and defense components (as well as its strategic autonomy), this has not happened in opposition to NATO, but rather as a complement and reinforcement of the NATO itself.

This online conference aims to address some of these topics, discussing the impact that the war in Ukraine will have, both for different dimensions of the European integration project (from strategic autonomy in key economic sectors to the defense pillar), and in broader geopolitical terms (in the context of the relations within Europe and Russia, but also with the US, or China). The speakers have remarkable experience, in particular having held functions in the field of foreign policy that offer them a unique knowledge of the regional reality in the conflict zone, but also of its impact on the European Union and on the wider geopolitical balances.