Thomas Frear argues that western efforts to pressure Abkhazia back into union with Georgia have failed, and are instead forcing Abkhazia into the arms of Moscow. It is time to rehabilitate the policy of engagement without recognition.
Sergiy Galaka argues that whilst the Russian pressure on Ukraine makes the prospects of the dialogue process seem bleak, the alternative, a resumption of full scale fighting, is far worse.
Ievgen Vorobiov argues that the divergence between domestic Ukrainian rhetoric and their negotiating stance may compromise the Ukrainian position in the Normandy format negotiations.
Anatoliy Grytsenko argues that the ‘Minsk format’ negotiations are moribund, and instead calls for an expanded ‘Normandy format’ inclusive of the USA and UK.
Steven Pifer, the former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine, argues that sanctions may still bring the Russians to the negotiating table as the Russian economy starts to feel the pain.
Eoin McNamara, Associate Fellow at the Latvian Institute of International Affairs, argues that a balance is needed between pan-NATO commitments and cooperation between the Baltic states.