Russia, Ukraine, and the Fate of Europe's Borderlands
The Council’s Ivo H. Daalder and Washington Post columnist Anne Applebaum discussed Ukraine, Russia, and if the West can help avoid a war with Russia in Europe’s borderlands.
About This Event
A quarter of a century after the Cold War formally ended, Ukraine is at the heart of a new frozen conflict between Russia and the West. With its annexation of Crimea and its support for separatists in the eastern Donbas region, Russia has challenged Ukraine’s independence and tested the strength of its ties to Europe and America. These actions, Anne Applebaum contends, have disquieting echoes throughout Ukraine’s twentieth century history. How has this past, particularly the catastrophic Soviet famine of 1921-34, shaped the present day fight for Ukraine’s destiny? Can the West preserve the independence of Ukraine, as well as the other nations of Europe’s borderlands, and avoid war with Russia?
About the Speakers
Anne Applebaum
Staff Writer, The Atlantic
In addition to working at the Atlantic, Anne Applebaum is a senior fellow of the Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University and a prize-winning historian with expertise in the history of communist and post-communist Europe. She was a Washington Post columnist for 17 years and a former member of the editorial board.
CEO, Chicago Council on Global Affairs
Ivo H. Daalder served as the US ambassador to NATO from 2009 to 2013. He joined the Council as president in 2013 and took on the new role of CEO in 2023. Previously, he was a senior fellow in foreign policy studies at the Brookings Institution and served as director for European affairs on President Bill Clinton’s National Security Council. He is the author or editor of 10 books.