Can Europe Rearm and Improve Relations with Russia at the Same Time?
From Vice President JD Vance’s speech in Munich to the flurry of diplomatic activity surrounding the war in Ukraine, the Trump administration has rocked the transatlantic relationship in its early weeks – so much so that Europe is beginning to get serious about significantly increasing its defense spending. But the level of defense spending alone does not constitute a complete defense strategy, replete with the necessary military capabilities and diplomatic relationships.
What are Europe’s actual defense needs? On what timeline can they be met? Should European leaders consider compartmentalizing their own defense requirements from those of Ukraine? And can Europe rearm in a fashion that does not needlessly exacerbate tensions with Russia after a settlement to the war in Ukraine has been reached?
To address these questions and more, join a conversation featuring Jeremy Shapiro, research director of the European Council on Foreign Relations, Martin Quencez, managing director of Geopolitical Risk and Strategy at the German Marshall Fund, Almut Rochowanski, non-resident fellow at the Quincy Institute, and Anatol Lieven, director of the Eurasia program at the Quincy Institute. Zach Paikin, research fellow at the Quincy Institute, will moderate the conversation.
The conversation will take place on Tuesday, March 25th from 12:00 – 1:00 PM Eastern Time.
Program
Countries/Territories
Panelists
Jeremy Shapiro
Jeremy Shapiro is the research director of the European Council on Foreign Relations. His areas of focus include US foreign policy and transatlantic relations. Shapiro was previously a fellow with the Project on International Order and Strategy and the Center on the United States and Europe at Brookings, where he edited the Foreign Policy program’s blog Order from Chaos. Prior to Brookings, he was a member of the U.S. State Department’s policy planning staff, where he advised the secretary of state on U.S. policy in North Africa and the Levant
Martin Quencez
Martin Quencez is managing director of geopolitical risk and strategy at the German Marshall Fund. Over the past ten years, he has held several positions at GMF, including as deputy director of the Paris office and research fellow in the Security and Defense program. His work includes research on transatlantic security and defense cooperation, and US and French foreign policy, on which he regularly writes for international media. He is a co-author of GMF’s annual flagship Transatlantic Trends report.
Almut Rochowanski
Almut Rochowanski is a non-resident fellow at the Quincy Institute and an independent activist. For the past 20 years she has collaborated with grassroots civil society organizations in Russia, especially the North Caucasus, Ukraine, the South Caucasus, Central Asia and Belarus, on a wide range of issues that were identified by grassroots activists as their priorities and/or existential needs: mobilizing resources; devising strategies and designing projects; learning; creating local and global networks; protecting themselves against threats.
Anatol Lieven
Anatol Lieven is the director of the Eurasia Program at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft. He was formerly a professor at Georgetown University in Qatar and in the War Studies Department of King’s College London. He also served as a member of the advisory committee of the South Asia Department of the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office and of the academic board of the Valdai discussion club in Russia. He holds a BA and PhD in history and political science from Cambridge University in England.
Zachary Paikin
Dr. Zachary Paikin is deputy director of the Better Order Project and research fellow in the Grand Strategy Program at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft. He is also senior fellow at the Institute for Peace & Diplomacy (IPD), a Canadian international affairs think tank. Previously, Dr. Paikin was researcher in EU Foreign Policy at the Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS) in Brussels from 2021 to 2023 and senior researcher in the International Security Dialogue Department at the Geneva Centre for Security Policy (GCSP) from 2023 to 2024.