Russia’s Widening War on Europe

Since the start of the war in Ukraine almost five years ago, Russia has mounted ever more aggressive attacks in Europe, far from the battlefield. These attacks were long talked about as a form of “hybrid warfare.” But as Julianne Smith, the former U.S. ambassador to NATO, notes in a new piece in Foreign Affairs, they have reached a level of risk and flagrancy where that label may no longer apply. And these attacks come in the context of escalation in Ukraine and dissension in the transatlantic alliance, as the Trump administration calls into question basic commitments to Europe.

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Smith has warned of the dangers of Russian escalation and urged NATO to do more in response. Dan Kurtz-Phelan spoke to her on Tuesday, October 6, about the options for raising the cost on Russia—as well as about the future of the war in Ukraine and the prospects for the United States and Europe in the wake of President Donald Trump.

Sources:

“Russia’s Hybrid War Has Entered a Dangerous New Phase” by Julianne Smith

“The New Eurasian Order” by Julianne Smith and Lindsey Ford

“NATO’s New Momentum: A Conversation With U.S. Ambassador to NATO Julianne Smith” The Foreign Affairs Interview

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“The Old World and the Middle Kingdom” by Julianne Smith and Torrey Taussig

“Is a Post-American World Inevitable? A Conversation With Kurt Campbell, Rush Doshi, and Mark Leonard” The Foreign Affairs Interview

“How Alliances Survive” by Kurt M. Campbell and Rush Doshi

“The Abandoned Order” by Mark Leonard

This episode of The Foreign Affairs Interview was produced by Adelaide Parker and Kanishk Tharoor, with audio engineering by Todd Yeager and original music by Robin Hilton. Special thanks as well to Irina Hogan.

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