November 19, 2021

Russia’s Escalating Pressure on Ukraine and Europe, with Michael Kofman and Kadri Liik

How should the United States and Europe interpret and respond to Russia’s various efforts to exert pressure on its neighbors, including its military buildup on the border with Ukraine? Michael Kofman and Kadri Liik join Andrea Kendall-Taylor and Jim Townsend to discuss the implications of the Kremlin’s actions for the transatlantic community.

Michael Kofman serves as Research Program Director in the Russia Studies Program at CNA and as a Fellow at the Kennan Institute at the Woodrow Wilson International Center in Washington, DC. His research focuses on Russia and the former Soviet Union, specializing in Russian armed forces, military thought, capabilities, and strategy.

Kadri Liikis a senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations. Her research focuses on Russia, Eastern Europe, and the Baltic region. Before joining ECFR, she was the director of the International Centre for Defence Studies in Estonia, where she also worked as a senior researcher and director of the Centre’s Lennart Meri Conference.

  • Commentary
    • European Leadership Network
    • January 13, 2025
    In Russia's Perceived War with the West, Arms Control is Collateral Damage

    Russia seemingly perceives previously established arms control agreements as elements of the broader Western-dominated political and security order that it aims to overturn....

    By Nicholas Lokker

  • Commentary
    • Breaking Defense
    • January 6, 2025
    Tehran’s Proxies Are on the Back Foot. An Iran-Russia Defense Pact Could Revive Them.

    A renewed defense treaty between these two powers will render Iran’s web of proxies all the more dangerous by arming already destabilizing agents with more advanced weapons te...

    By Delaney Soliday & Shivane Anand

  • Commentary
    • Foreign Affairs
    • December 18, 2024
    Putin’s Point of No Return

    The United States and Europe must invest in resisting Russia now or pay a far greater cost later....

    By Andrea Kendall-Taylor & Michael Kofman

  • Podcast
    • December 13, 2024
    What Can Europe do in Syria?

    After 54 years of brutal rule in Syria, the al-Assad family’s reign came to an end last week. Following 13 years of devastating civil war, which saw over a million refugees fl...

    By Andrea Kendall-Taylor & Jim Townsend

View All Reports View All Articles & Multimedia