The current danger of an escalation of tension in Ukraine raises many questions for the entire European continent. Among the questions the European Union will have to answer on its own is the one of its stance towards Russia.
The two authors of this debate agree very much on the need for dialogue, but differ on the sequences: while the former Hungarian MEP Gyula Hegyi warns of the threat of a Sino-Russian military alliance should the West let Russia drift away too far and argues that any partnership requires mutual understanding, respect, and dialogue, the former Czech Minister of Foreign Affairs, Tomáš Petříček, calls for the EU to have a very precise and coherent idea of its goals in Eastern Europe before stumbling into a dialogue of which it masters neither timing nor direction.
