Member States and Change in EU Foreign Policy after Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine

Russia’s attack on Ukraine in February 2022 has led to a fundamental rethinking of EU foreign policy towards both Russia and the so-called Eastern neighbourhood. While far-reaching sanctions have been imposed on Russia, EU policy towards Eastern neighbours – Ukraine and Moldova in particular – has been driven by geopolitical and strategic considerations. This paper examines how this shift has occurred in three policy areas, namely enlargement policy, security and defence cooperation and external energy policy. Specifically, it utilizes role theory to investigate the interaction between selected EU member states – France, Germany, Poland – and the EU institutional framework in driving foreign policy change. The selection is based on the member states’ influence in both EU foreign policy towards Russia and the policy areas under consideration, as well as their representativeness of different national stances within the EU. The paper argues that ‘crisis learning’ after February 2022 catalysed multiple, overlapping changes in the member states’ roles and positions, enabling significant developments in the EU’s enlargement, energy and security policies. However, different national interests and preferences have not disappeared and could resurface more clearly with an evolving geopolitical context.