Russia’s Full-Scale Attack on Ukraine: A View from Berlin

Earlier this week, President Vladimir V. Putin recognized two Russia-backed separatist territories in Ukraine – the so-called Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics – and ordered the Russian military into those regions to carry out “peacekeeping functions.” After months of amassing troops along the border with Ukraine, in the early hours of Thursday, February 24, Russia launched simultaneous attacks from the north, east, and south on major cities, airports, and ports in Ukraine.

With a full-scale attack underway, major western countries have reacted with outrage at Russia’s invasion. U.S. President Joe Biden said that “President Putin has chosen a premeditated war that will bring a catastrophic loss of life and human suffering.” European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said Mr. Putin was “responsible for bringing war back to Europe.” And, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called this “Putin’s war” and said the Russian leader would pay a “bitter price” for his “serious error.”

Join the American Council on Germany for a conversation with Dr. Claudia Major, Head of the International Security Research Division at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP) in Berlin, about the unfolding conflict.

Dr. Claudia Major is Head of the International Security Research Division at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP) in Berlin. Her research, advisory work, publications, and media contributions focus on security and defense policy in Europe and in a transatlantic context (NATO, EU, Germany, UK, France). Recent publications deal with Germany’s security and defense policy, NATO’s strategic adaptation and future development, developments in EU defense, strategic autonomy, and Franco-German relations in defense. Previously she held positions at the Center for Security Studies at the ETH Zurich, the German Council on Foreign Relations, the EU Institute for Security Studies (Paris), the German Foreign Office, and Sciences Po Paris. She is a member of various boards, including the Advisory Board for Civilian Crisis Prevention at the Federal Foreign Office. She holds a diploma from Sciences Po Paris and the Free University Berlin and a Ph.D. from the University of Birmingham, UK.