HSF Insight

Today in Ukraine, there is a warm early-autumn rain. That means one thing: fewer drones fly along the frontline, but trenches fill with mud up to the knees. This is one of the unexpected cause-and-effect connections you learn when living through a brutal war. Russia’s war against Ukraine has exposed uncomfortable truths about our assumptions…

NATO member countries have agreed to increase their defence and security-related spending to 5 percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). But increased spending alone without the manpower to back it up could undermine Europe’s military preparedness in the long run. A recent poll of nine European countries published by the European Council on Foreign Relations…

I have emphasised the importance of Europe’s persistence to ensure the sovereignty of Ukraine several times in my previous writings and presentations. Ukraine has taught Europe many lessons, many of which we are still learning. Importantly, we have realised that Europe needs to be more autonomous in its defence. With a global power recalibration, European…

European defence policy today is centred around two topics: strengthening Europe’s own defence capability and supporting Ukraine. While the Russian aggression in Ukraine began in 2014, it took the full-scale war in 2022 to wake up Europeans to the new normal. War is back in Europe, and its expansion cannot be ruled out. By 2025,…

The war in Ukraine has highlighted the vulnerabilities of European security. As conflict rages on Europe’s doorstep, it has become clear that relying solely on diplomatic and economic actions is not enough to ensure peace and stability.

While many of the recent threats aim specifically to undermine European support to Ukraine, Russia’s actions should be perceived as a long-term threat that requires sustainable long-term solutions.

Russia’s brutal war of aggression against Ukraine has emphasised how important maintaining a credible deterrence and defence posture is – and how unprepared for this task most European states have long been.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine marks the first time in world history when a state uses its nuclear arsenal as coercive leverage in a war of conquest. The reverberations are felt throughout the world.

Poland is on track to be one of Europe’s most significant military powers. This naturally has effects on both European and NATO security and leverage.