Embassy of Germany in Washington, D.C.’s Post

#Estonian PM Kaja Kallas in The Straits Times: ✅#Russia’s ongoing invasion of #Ukraine should not be seen as a faraway war for those in #Asia, Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas said on May 17, just as #European democracies have a vested interest in the #stability of the #IndoPacific region. ✅The stakes are high for #smallstates such as Estonia and #Singapore, which must raise their voices to protect #principles and stand up for a #rulesbasedorder that is fraying amid a great power battle for influence among countries in the so-called #GlobalSouth, said Ms Kallas. ✅ the current world order is under threat from Russia’s full-scale war in Ukraine that is now in its 27th month.

This excellent article by Taiwanese foreign minister Jaushieh Joseph Wu has clear implications for North America: making a strong commitment to security in the Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific is essential. Tough-minded prioritization is not picking one over the other - it is accepting that North America’s geopolitical predicament is multi-front and then prioritizing around that recognition. The ructions in Washington leading to the newest tranche of support for Ukraine show a worrying portion of US lawmakers have not internalized Wu’s message. For Canada, his words suggest how much can be done by smaller powers: his three recommendations of 1) helping Taiwan build resilience against PRC disinformation and grey-zone/hybrid activities; 2) knitting tighter trade relationships; and 3) championing Taiwan against PRC lawfare and diplomatic pressure are all eminently doable for a country of Canada’s size and resources. Center for North American Prosperity and Security / CNAPS Macdonald-Laurier Institute

EU imposing security dialogue on global South while looking weapons for Kiev — Diplomat According to Maria Zakharova, the European Union is undergoing cardinal changes having turned "from a peaceful economic project into a militarist association" MOSCOW, June 3/ The European Union is seeking to impose a security dialogue narrative on countries of the global South in a bid to find more weapons for Kiev and means of countering Russia, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said. "The European Union is making efforts to impose security and defense dialogue on countries of the global majority," she said in a commentary following the Schuman Security and Defense Forum in Brussels. "But a priority for the European Union is not what the global majority is interested in but rather the ‘Ukrainization’ of any international agenda, raising weapons for Ukraine, investing in the confrontation with Russia, China, Iran and other independent centers of power, as well as producing an appearance of supporting anti-Russian ultimatums based on the inviable ‘Zelensky formula.’" According to Zakharova, the European Union is undergoing cardinal changes having turned "from a peaceful economic project into a militarist association." "It is secret to no one that having lost its political independence under Washington’s pressure, the European Union has proclaimed itself as a NATO pillar. The current consolidation of these US-led blocs is geared to try to ensure, by all means - from economic and political to military ones, domination of the West and its global oligarchy under the umbrella of the rule-based world order. This Western-centric order is called to continue maintaining the system of the West’s political and economic parasitizing on the resources and wellbeing of the rest of the world," she stressed. She drew attention to the fact that despite the initial plans to hold the ministerial Schuman Security and Defense Forums every two years, this year’s one was organized in the following year after the previous one. "Notably, it can be called a ministerial forum only conditionally, like last year’s one. First, not all of those invited took part. Second, only a few countries were represented at a high level. Nearly half of countries found it enough to be represented at the level of their diplomatic missions in Brussels," Zakharova noted. (Part One, Continued in Part Two in the next post) #business #finance #financialservices

📍Absorbing Ukraine is transforming the European Union, too. Catherine Ashton, who was the European Union’s first foreign policy chief between 2009 and 2014, believes the experience of absorbing Ukraine is transforming the European Union, too. 📍“It’s made the EU stronger in foreign policy terms … more coherent". It was high time, she said, for EU leaders to start forming #security strategies for the next 50 years. Whatever the exact territorial outcome of the war in #Ukraine, the political outcome is already clear: 📍 #Russia has lost its gambit to create a vassal state and buffer zone in Eastern Europe, because Ukraine’s Westward course is now irreversible. It was high time, she said, for EU leaders to start forming security strategies for the next 50 years. -- 📍An interesting article on #geopolitics, and a new foreign and defence policy by European Union in the course of the war in Ukraine! #Nordstream Aljazeera Media Initiatives | المبادرات الإعلامية #foreignaffairs European Commission #Germany #Moldova #Poland NATO #Nato

Will the war in Ukraine ultimately unite or divide Europe? The EU's future depends on its ability to prevent a Russian victory and take responsibility for its own security. This is the first step toward forging a common strategic culture and achieving the political cohesion needed to ensure Europe's sovereignty, argues Giovanni Grevi: https://lnkd.in/eSAgPYNi #StrategicEurope #Europe #Ukraine #Security

Foreign Minister of #Taiwan Jaushieh Joseph Wu connects the defense of #Ukraine to the defense of #Taiwan in Foreign Affairs Magazine. He clearly articulates why Taiwan matters to the world, the importance of Ukrainian and Taiwanese defense to the world order, and what like minded nations can do to help defend Taiwan. "Just as the fight to protect democracy in Ukraine has global implications, so, too, does the defense of Taiwan... These interconnected coalitions are the strongest guarantor of a favorable geostrategic environment in the Indo-Pacific region... In the coming years, the fate of Taiwan, like that of Ukraine, will be a crucial test that the world’s democracies must not fail."

The Russia-China alliance poses a grave threat to democracies worldwide. In his compelling Foreign Affairs Magazine piece, Taiwan's Foreign Minister Joseph Wu argues that supporting Ukraine's defense is essential for deterring the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) aggression and preserving Taiwan's autonomy. Taiwan is a vital economic and strategic partner, and its security is intertwined with global stability. Democracies must take bolder action to counter the CCP's coercion, strengthen Taiwan's resilience, and uphold a rules-based world order. #taiwan #ukraine #resistance #resilience #strategiccompetition #geopoliticalrisk https://lnkd.in/gtJqgQSG

"While the war in Ukraine continues, the transatlantic partners have an opportunity borne out of this crisis to rid the region of Russia’s corrosive influence and more firmly anchor Moldova and Georgia in the good governance, democracy, and economic prosperity that are cornerstones of the Euro-Atlantic space." Read the full report from Nicholas Lokker and Andrea Kendall-Taylor:

🇨🇳🤝🇷🇺 Reuters [excerpt]: #China needs to be involved in talks to end the #war with #Russia, #Ukraine's top representative said after a high-level diplomatic meeting ahead of the World Economic Forum in #Switzerland. Ukraine's presidential chief of staff Andriy Yermak said on Sunday it was important that Russian #ally China was at the table when Kyiv convenes further meetings on its peace formula. Chinese Premier Li Qiang will lead a delegation in #Davos this week. Asked if President Volodymyr Zelenskiy would meet Li, Yermak told a news briefing "let's see", adding he had not seen the Ukrainian president's final agenda. Zelenskiy is due to arrive in Bern, Switzerland on Monday to meet the President of the Swiss Confederation Viola Amherd. ...A #EuropeanUnion official said Ukraine's Western partners had expressed unequivocal support for Kyiv and its #peace plans, with a call on the #GlobalSouth nations to make clear to Russia the importance of respecting the #UnitedNations charter and its core principles in the interest of global security. The role of the Global South in Ukraine's peace formula talks has come into focus in the lead up to Davos. Many of the non-aligned countries from Africa, Latin America, the Middle East and Asia that have largely stayed on the sidelines over Ukraine will be represented in the Swiss mountain resort. The #EU official said the Global South partners had generally expressed empathy with the fate of Ukrainians. Some highlighted the need for engaging with Russia's concerns. ... Ukraine, with strong backing from its allies, has consistently said it will not give up until it has reclaimed every piece of territory that Russia has taken. It is unclear, however, if countries in the Global South agree with that as a peace formula. #Nigeria's national security adviser Nuhu Ribadu told Reuters that the African oil producer stood by Zelenskiy's side, saying it will deal with the consequences of rising food prices. The talks were also attended by the U.S. special representative for Ukraine's Economic Recovery Penny Pritzker, as well as James O'Brien, the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs. As concerns grow about ongoing U.S. support for the war in Ukraine during an election year, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and Secretary of State Antony Blinken are both expected to address the WEF, which officially starts on Monday evening. Zelenskiy's 10-point peace plan calls for the withdrawal of Russian troops and cessation of hostilities and the restoration of Ukraine's state borders with Russia. Russia, which controls a little under a fifth of Ukrainian territory, has dismissed Zelenskiy's "peace formula" as absurd as it aims to find peace without Moscow's participation. #news #geopolitics