European Security: The Search for Common Ground

When it comes to addressing challenges caused by the Ukraine crisis, the perspectives of experts from the U.S., Russia, and Europe could not be further apart.  Although all parties agree about the need to manage their differences, the analysis of the situation and the approaches under consideration diverge widely. This report, a project of the Atlantic Council, the European Leadership Network and the Russian International Affairs Council, offers three points of view on the state of the European security environment. It reveals different perceptions of the current situation, provides diverse analyses of where common interests lie, and offers suggestions on how to make best use of the tools and institutional mechanisms to advance these interests. All the experts agree on the urgent need to address the Ukrainian crisis as a necessary step toward meaningful discussions on European security and progress on other global challenges. The report, Managing Differences on European Security in 2015, is the product of a series of brainstorming sessions that took place between the summer of 2013 and the winter of 2014-2015.