Mikhail Polianskii, Postdoctoral Researcher in the Research Department International Institutions, gave a lecture at the Gesellschaft für Sicherheitspolitik e.V. on 25 March 2025 on the topic of “Challenges for Germany and Europe: Security Strategy in the Wake of the Ukraine War”.
Germany's security policy position has evolved in recent years under the influence of geopolitical tensions and internal changes. Following the federal elections on February 23, the new German government now faces a number of complex challenges in foreign and security policy.
In his presentation, Mikhail Polianskii analyzed the challenges and their potential impact on society and Germany's security policy self-image. He also shed light on the role of Germany and Europe in the Ukraine conflict with regard to the inauguration of Donald Trump. Around 35 people attended the lecture. It was followed by a discussion.
Mikhail Polianskii has been a Researcher at the Leibniz Institute for Peace and Conflict Research (PRIF) since 2019, focusing on Russia's foreign policy and relations between Russia, the EU and NATO in the context of the European security architecture. His doctorate, completed in 2024 at Goethe University Frankfurt, dealt with the topic of “Russia's withdrawal from the European security order”. He has written several academic publications on the war in Ukraine, including in the journals Contemporary Security Policy (CSP) and Global Policy Journal. He is also a frequent guest on radio (e.g. WDR, RBB, HR) and in newspaper interviews (Handelsblatt, Frankfurter Rundschau, etc.) on topics of Russian domestic, foreign and security policy.