 "European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson attend a bilateral meeting during a NATO summit to discuss Russia's invasion of Ukraine, at the alliance's headquarters in Brussels (Photo: Reuters)")
A malevolent expansionary autocracy waging war on its doorstep seems to have cured the European Union of its complacency over self-defense. The pandemic had already underlined the need for closer coordination in other areas. Europe’s politicians are now talking of a new era of cooperation.
Historians will surely record Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as a transformative moment — yet what kind of transformation is harder to say. Celebrating Europe’s new unity under pressure might be premature. The demands being placed on the union could strengthen it. Or, in the end, fracture it.
Europe’s shock at Russia’s brutality would be hard
