War in Europe: It's about more than Ukraine

Vladimir Putin's goal is the return of Russia as a superpower. The Russian president wants to reverse a trend in which Russia has steadily lost influence in Europe since the collapse of the Soviet Union. The political leadership in Beijing, especially with regard to China's claim to Taiwan, will carefully study whether and for how long Europe and the US will stand together, or whether cracks in this unity may begin to form at some point.

Last updated: 24. July 2025