As the US shifted its policy towards engagement with the regime of Lukashenka, questions about Western coordination and the EU’s policy towards Belarus have come to the forefront. This pivot is particularly controversial given that Lukashenka’s regime remains a belligerent in the war against Ukraine, while widespread human rights violations continue across Belarus.

Following the 2020-2021 protests and the escalation of Russia’s war on Ukraine, the EU maintained a united front – refusing to recognise the regime in Minsk and continuing to support Belarusian pro-democracy actors. Against this background key questions emerge: How does US transactional diplomacy affect the EU’s leverage? What lessons can be drawn from previous policy cycles to identify more effective ways for the EU to support the pro-democracy movement?

This event will discuss the current state of EU-Belarus relations and assess how the recent shift in US policy might affect them. It will also shed light on ongoing domestic developments in Belarus, including in the context of Russia’s war on Ukraine.

Speakers

Joerg Forbrig
Managing Director, European Resilience, German Marshall Fund of the United States and Transatlantic Foundation

Colombe de Mercey
DG ENEST, European Commission

Alesia Rudnik
Postdoctoral Researcher, Södetrörn University and Maastricht University

Ryhor Nizhnikau
Senior Research Fellow in Russia, Eastern Europe and Eurasia programme, The Finnish Institute of International Affairs (FIIA)

Amanda Paul
Deputy Head of Programme and Senior Policy Analyst, European Policy Centre (Co-moderator)

Katsiaryna Lozka
Joint Research Fellow, Egmont Institute and the European Policy Centre (Co-moderator)

(Other speakers to be confirmed)

(Photo credit: Andrew Keymaster, Unsplash)