Cuardaigh

Sandwiched between Russia to the east and an expanding NATO to the west, Ukraine's relations with NATO are closely interlinked with the country's ties to Russia – and Russia's relations with NATO. Ukraine's NATO aspirations remain a key sticking point in this tense geopolitical situation. Please click here for the full publication in PDF format

The European Council of 17-18 March 2016 was dominated by discussion of the migration crisis and in particular on the EU-Turkey agreement. Turkish and EU leaders agreed on the return of all new irregular migrants coming from Turkey to the EU, the resettlement of Syrians from Turkey to the EU, the acceleration of the visa liberalisation roadmap and an additional €3 billion for the Facility for Refugees in Turkey. EU leaders endorsed the 2016 Annual Growth Survey and discussed the economic recovery ...

While Kyiv took an important step towards Europe with the entry into force of the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area on 1 January 2016, Ukraine's path to peace with neighbouring Russia remains complicated. The implementation of the fragile Minsk II ceasefire agreement — negotiated by the leaders of France, Germany, Ukraine and Russia in February 2015 — has been extended into 2016. Several unresolved issues will continue to pose challenges to the fulfilment of Minsk II in 2016. The death toll ...