Thread by @tepsaeu

In a few minutes we will be opening the discussion at our public debate on the future of EU policy towards 🇷🇺 in light of Russia's war of aggression in #Ukraine

Speakers are: @Europarl_EN VP @HeidiHautala, FoE editor @_PaulSchmidt, and @EU_EESC Secretary-General @SanninoEU

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As always we'll be highlighting the key highlights of the discussion here on our Twitter account 👉 make sure to follow us for the LIVE🔴 updates!

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We begin the discussion by presenting this year's edition of the annual TEPSA book giving views on European politics from the capitals of over 40 countries, which this year focuses on #Russia and the #FutureofEurope

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"Today is another day of violent escalation by Russia in Ukraine, including by striking civilian targets [...] we must stand firm against the Russian aggression in Ukraine"

- @_PaulSchmidt, Secretary-General of @oegfe

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"We have managed to agree on eight packages of sanctions and measures - this is the focus of our unity within the EU27, but we also go beyond the 27: this is what TEPSA is all about, going beyond the 27"

- @_PaulSchmidt, Secretary-General of @oegfe

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"This is our European political community on a research and policy level"

- @_PaulSchmidt, Secretary-General of @oegfe and Co-Editor of the 'Future of Europe' book series, on the added value of "Russia and the Future of Europe: Views from the Capitals"

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"These are short, concise, opinionated comments - the book is easy to read. It is like a guidebook, taking the reader on a journey through the very diverse political European landscape"

- @_PaulSchmidt, Co-Editor of the 'Future of Europe' book series

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"There is a dire need for a strategic and long-term vision for joint European policy towards Russia - we must also reconsider our approach towards EU enlargement, including of course, the candidacy of Ukraine"

- @_PaulSchmidt (@oegfe)

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We now turn to @HeidiHautala MEP, Vice-President of the @Europarl_EN, for her views on the development of the situation both in and out of Russia - was Putin's current system in Russia inevitable?

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"Four or five successive Finnish Prime Ministers showed a deliberate blindness towards the geo-political and security-political aspects of the NordStream project with Russia"

- @HeidiHautala MEP, Vice-President of the @Europarl_EN

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"We should remain aware that there are fragile democratic forces that have fled to Europe - how can we deal with this new Russian diaspora in these dark times?"

- @HeidiHautala MEP, Vice-President of the @Europarl_EN

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"Since December 2021 when Russia started to attempt to claim back its sphere of influence, this was a red flag"

- @HeidiHautala MEP, Vice-President of the @Europarl_EN

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"Today there has been an escalation of the war - this is a moment of reflection which is useful"

- @SanninoEU, Secretary-General of the @eu_eeas opens his remarks

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"Before February 24th, European intelligence suggested Russia was just flexing its muscles. When Russia invaded #Ukraine and this interpretation was proven wrong, the EU reacted quickly and strongly"

- @SanninoEU, Secretary-General of the @eu_eeas

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"The EU response has been one of the inter-institutional success stories: the work on sanctions between the EU Institutions was remarkable"

- @SanninoEU, Secretary-General of the @eu_eeas

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"Have we done enough in terms of sanctions? Have we done enough in terms of military, economic, and more support?"

- @CloosJim, who is moderating the discussion, poses the first question to @HeidiHautala & @SanninoEU

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"Perhaps one side-effect of the flow of refugees from Ukraine is that Poland's support, contrasted with Orban's support for Putin in Hungary, has divided the two countries, which were once a force to be reckoned with when combined in the EU"

- @HeidiHautala (@Europarl_EN)

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"Have we done enough on sanctions? It's hard to say, as sanctions need time to have an effect. Have we done enough to support Ukraine? We can do more, but we can also get into a political situation to maintain our current level of support over time"

- @_PaulSchmidt (@oegfe)

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"Sanctions are having a huge impact, but @_PaulSchmidt is right that we need time to see what further effect it will have on Russia - even their oil extraction capacities are starting to be put in question"

- @SanninoEU, Secretary-General of the @eu_eeas

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"How much do we want to accept that we are part of this war? Because we ARE part of it: we have picked a side, and are strongly supporting #Ukraine against #Russia"

- @SanninoEU, Secretary-General of the @eu_eeas

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"It's about the resilience of our society: we all understand that our actions have consequences, especially when you consider reducing personal energy consumption this winter"

- @SanninoEU, Secretary-General of the @eu_eeas

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"Is it time for diplomacy? No. That would be to surrender to the threats, to the pressure. We should be humble enough to listen to Ukrainians"

- @SanninoEU (@eu_eeas) states that diplomacy with Russia is not the answer

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"China is a big elephant in the room: will there be a full unity of intent with Russia? This not a natural reaction on either the Chinese or Russian side, but sometimes interests can be more relevant than historic attitudes"

- @SanninoEU (@eu_eeas)

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"It is difficult to see what is unfolding in any other way than this war of aggression being a last battle of the Soviet Union: Putin wants former Soviet states to follow the Russian line no matter what"

- @HeidiHautala, Vice-President of the @Europarl_EN

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"We need to forget old taboos, such as Ukraine not being a potential member of NATO - now, Putin has crossed a line, and Ukraine needs to be able to defend itself as part of the NATO alliance"

- @HeidiHautala, Vice-President of the @Europarl_EN

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"Should there be a regime change in Russia? I would say yes, but we also need to be aware of what may come next. At the moment, regime change will not be very 'nice'"

- @HeidiHautala, Vice-President of the @Europarl_EN

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"We need to ensure that this 'union' and 'unity' that we talk about is practically implemented, not just a theoretical idea"

- @_PaulSchmidt, Secretary-General of @oegfe

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We now turn to the audience for a Q&A session with our prestigious panel of practitioners and experts: @HeidiHautala, @SanninoEU, and @_PaulSchmidt

TEPSA's public debates ALWAYS give the audience an opportunity to directly speak to political tastemakers and policymakers

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After a dynamic Q&A between our speakers and the audience, @CloosJim closes the public debate "Next Steps in the EU Response to Russian Aggression: Building Unity from Diversity"

Thank you to our speakers for their insights, and be sure to stay tuned for more to follow!

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