Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoană spoke at a panel on Russia’s war against Ukraine on Thursday (9 June 2022), hosted by POLITICO and presented by the Wilfried Martens Centre for European Studies. He said that the war had not just galvanized NATO and the European Union, but also “something which is much deeper and much more important: it galvanised our democratic society”, pointing to the significant support that Allies have provided, but also to young Europeans and North Americans fundraising for Ukraine.
The Deputy Secretary General discussed Finland and Sweden’s historic applications to join NATO, saying that their membership would strengthen the security not just of the Baltic region, but the Alliance overall. He underlined that the concerns of all Allies must be taken into account, to find a united way forward. Mr. Geoană also took wide-ranging questions on transatlantic security and unity, and how Russia’s invasion has shifted policymakers’ attitudes toward defence.
The Deputy Secretary General was joined by Stefano Sannino, Secretary General of the European External Action Service, Eerik-Niiles Kross, Member of the Estonian Parliament, Janne Kuusela, Director General for defence policy at the Finnish Ministry of Defence, and Suzanne Lynch of POLITICO.