Journalist Nataliya Gumenyuk joins ELN Senior Associate Fellow Ilana Bet-El to discuss Ukraine’s grim reality after four years of war. From frontline trauma to documenting war crimes, she reveals what it means to live under attack—and why EU membership is essential for Ukraine’s long-term security and prosperity.
At last year’s Vilnius Summit, NATO pledged to develop a strategic approach to Russia. But with President Trump engaging Moscow directly and ending the “no business as usual” stance, consensus by the June summit in The Hague is unlikely. ELN Senior Associate Fellow and former UK Ambassador to NATO, Sir Adam Thomson, and Former NATO Assistant Secretary General for Operations, Stephen Evans, argue that in light of this, NATO should pursue a strategic shift—an internal deal towards a “managed co-existence” with Russia. This could align with Trump’s goals while preserving deterrence, sustaining European support for Ukraine, and keeping the U.S. committed to NATO.
NATO’s upcoming Summit in The Hague comes at a key point in the Alliance’s history; Russia’s continued aggression against Ukraine, American impatience with European underspending on defence, and European fears of American withdrawal from collective defence all represent major threats. Former NATO Assistant Secretary General for Operations, Stephen Evans, and ELN Senior Associate Fellow former UK Ambassador to NATO, Sir Adam Thomson, argue that NATO’s history demonstrates it is capable of combining strength and flexibility in times of crisis. They argue for a ‘back to basics’ approach to ease internal tensions, strengthen partnerships and move towards a state of ‘managed co-existence’ with Russia.
For the Trump administration, it seems that journalism is passé, or worse, a threat. In a world where the boundaries between media, politics and business continue to erode, the likes of Trump, Elon Musk, and Jeff Bezos have become central figures in shaping public discourse. ELN Senior Associate Fellow Ilana Bet-El is joined by veteran BBC journalist Kate Adie to reflect on the evolution of media, the structural crises of today’s news industry, and the fundamental role of journalism in society.
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the OSCE has faced a deep crisis. Russia and Belarus have violated key norms of the 1975 Helsinki Final Act, undermining the OSCE’s role in crisis management. Alexander Graef argues that breaking the impasse requires decisive political leadership and multi-level diplomacy. He also argues that growing military activities in Europe highlight the need for military-to-military contacts for managing escalation risks, in which the OSCE can facilitate necessary dialogues and support future monitoring activities as it has in the past.
For nearly 50 years, the OSCE has developed a toolbox to address security challenges across wider Europe. However, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has dismantled Europe’s existing security architecture, rendering many OSCE tools ineffective. Former ELN Policy Fellow Katia Glod argues that in spite of this, a resurgence of political commitment could reinvigorate the OSCE’s tools, enabling them to be adapted to current challenges. This report recommends concrete actions to be undertaken by the OSCE to improve the efficacy of its toolbox.