Russia Could Take Back Seat to Middle East Conflict, Says Academic
Besides Russia, the new leadership of the EU has also the Middle East conflict to deal with, which could temporarily demote the Ukrainian crisis, says Tallinn University lecturer Catlyn Kirna.
Kirna told uudised.err.ee on Monday that EU foreign policy will depend more on the actions of Russia than the new foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini. She said any new sanctions will be decided foremost by Germany and France.
The conflict in Ukraine could be frozen while the rise of the Islamic State (IS) in the Middle East is tackled. “The biggest problem here is that they have followers who are already in Europe. If immigration has been talked about until now, then the current terrorism does not cross borders but comes from inside society, where those people have lived for decades,” she said, adding that the rise in popularity of right-wing extremism is also a realistic threat.