Publications

The “Defending Baltics: War Lessons from Ukraine” International Security Conference held in Vilnius on 8–9 October offered a valuable platform for discussing and reflecting on the lessons from the Russia–Ukraine war. What made the conference particularly unique was its diverse mix of participants, including politicians, military personnel, academics, NGOs, and representatives from the defence industry, all gathering to assess the ongoing war in Ukraine from multiple perspectives.

The Lithuanian Foreign Policy Review is an analytical journal focusing on global issues and analyzing their impact on Lithuania. It is published annually in cooperation with the Lithuanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Since 2018, the partners have included Konrad Adenauer Stiftung and the US Embassy in Lithuania. The journal was established in 1998. Gradually, it moved towards covering the security and foreign policy issues of the countries in Central Eastern Europe and the geopolitical and security problems of the whole region. Since 2018 the concept of the journal has changed from a peer-reviewed journal to an analytical publication. ISSN: 1392-5504

After the prime minister of Georgia, Irakli Kobakhidze, announced a decision not to pursue the opening of EU accession negotiations and to reject EU financial support at least until 2028, Georgia is experiencing significant political unrest.

The Russia’s war against Ukraine has rocked the bedrock of security on the European continent.

Significant political shifts can be expected in Georgia and Moldova if the October elections favor opposition forces. The Georgian legislative elections on October 26 may lead to a redistribution of political power, currently concentrated in the hands of the Eurosceptic ruling party, Georgian Dream.

Leaders and guests of the 75-year-old NATO alliance met in Washington DC on 10-11 July. The NATO Washington Summit Declaration released by the leaders highlights reinforces collective defence, new instruments to coordinate assistance and training to Ukraine and pledges significant but unspecified long-term support related to Ukraine’s irreversible path towards NATO membership. The NATO summit outcome assessments are discussed by experts Henrik Larsen and Prof. Tomas Janeliūnas from the Eastern Europe Studies Centre.

After the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, energy security became a particularly sensitive issue for Europe and seeking ways to abandon Russian energy resources became a priority. Events such as the bombing of the Nord Stream gas pipeline in September 2022 continued to increase attention to this topic in Europe. Such actions in times of war especially attract the attention of Western governments and associations.

Two years into the Russian full-scale war against Ukraine and 10 years after the occupation of Crimea and aggression in Donbas, it is important to keep following the opinions of Ukrainian experts. This paper provides an overview of gathered written, spoken, or just empirically observable opinions among Ukrainian professionals, of how they perceive the current vector of the war, international and domestic Ukrainian politics.

Russian attacks and advances in Ukraine make it increasingly uncomfortable for NATO to stand passively on the sideline. NATO remains unlikely to take steps toward Ukraine’s accession but is now considering taking over the coordination of weapons supplies and training and creating a dedicated fund to sustain them long-term.

Control of the information domain has become a crucial element of a country’s national security and strategic strength, particularly in an era characterised by geopolitical uncertainties. In this global context, the manipulation of information to interfere in the internal affairs of other nations and to achieve specific strategic objectives has become increasingly prominent, especially when analysing autocratic regimes. These regimes often employ disinformation as a key non-kinetic activity conducted against Western liberal democracies.

NATO allies need to pay close attention to and learn from the war if they are serious about building up their own EDT capabilities. Specifically, NATO allies should draw three distinct lessons from the war so far. These are not about specific weapon systems, such as which drone has been the most promising, or how to integrate autonomy in the fighting process. Rather, they are more fundamental lessons and changes that the increasing use of new technologies have caused or enabled.

The issue of Moldova’s reintegration came to the fore again after the authorities in Chisinau began the transposition of the new Customs Code, starting in January 2024. The political focus of this exercise is on the Transnistria region and is a first attempt to improve economic integration with the rest of Moldova.