Hybrid CoE Trend Report 9: Eastern Partnership countries in flux: From identity politics to militarization of foreign relations

The Eastern Partnership (EaP) has served the European Union in its political and economic engagement with Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan for more than 13 years. Since its beginning, the EaP has been treated by Russia as a battlefield for influence and dominance, but the real game changer has been the Russian military invasion of Ukraine. Against this backdrop, this Hybrid CoE Trend Report identifies 5 trends that influence the hybrid threat potential in the EaP countries: the redefinition of the EU’s role; Russian utilization of identity politics; the militarization of foreign relations in Eastern Europe; Russian instrumentalization of economic interdependencies; and the “vassalization” of Belarus.