On Thursday, 9 March 2023, the IIEA and the Konrad Adenauer-Stiftung co-hosted a half-day symposium reflecting on One Year on from the Russian Invasion of Ukraine: Priorities for European Security and Defence. The symposium was divided into two panels. The first was entitled Defending Europe: Adapting to a New Threat Landscape and the second was called The Transatlantic Relationship.

The first panel reflected on the direct military implications of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine for European security and defence. The panel discussed how Europe faces a dynamic threat environment with dangers arising not only from direct armed attack against the state, but also from attacks against critical subsea infrastructure and from attacks occurring via cyber means. The panel discussed the need for European states to increase their investment in their security and defence capacities, not only over the short term in response to Russia’s war, but also in the longer term to ensure that Europe is protected from future threats.

The second panel reflected on changing dynamics in the transatlantic relationship. This panel noted that Europe can no longer take American involvement in European security for granted. The panel noted that there is an increasingly large isolationist instinct within the American public and that this is filtering into American politics. The panel noted that this trend would affect both the current Biden Presidency as well as whoever takes office following the 2024 presidential elections. This panel also highlighted the need for Europe to shoulder a greater proportion of the burden when it comes to Europe’s defence to ensure American commitment to European security in the medium to long term.