Deputy director, Centre for European Reform, London @centreeuropeanref.bsky.social . Supporter of democracy, the rule of law, the EU & Ukraine. Opponent of authoritarianism, corruption & Putin's Russia.
Ian Bond
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I enjoyed this wide-ranging discussion of what Europe can do in the short term to strengthen its defences. Thanks to @armida.bsky.social & Michael Richter.
I fully agree. Worth emphasising that it was the PM’s commitment at the NATO summit last year that the U.K. would spend 3% by 2030, not John Healey.
He’s right. Russia’s daily war crimes are being presented as a new normal. It’s not normal and we must, as he says, lean in harder.
@centreeuropeanref.bsky.social puts it bluntly in a new study: Germany is the epicenter of the 'China Shock 2.0.' Unlike in the 2000s, Beijing is no longer just targeting the fringes of the global market, but is now aiming directly at the industrial heart of the German economy.
buff.ly/ofTqdEW
John Healey is right. The UK is spending too little & failing to learn from Ukraine’s experience of modern war. And the Treasury shows no sign of interest in whether the UK can defend itself or not. A PM's priority should be to ensure the country's national security.
Absolutely right. Russia has observed no red lines (not even those laid down by international humanitarian law and the laws of war); so why on earth should Ukraine's Western partners force Kyiv to handicap itself? UA is doing better now it's ignoring nervous Westerners & targetting what it needs to.
Excellent! European leaders meeting Zelenskyy in the UK today need to read this: stop talking about negotiations, step up the military and economic pressure on Putin.
Europeans should have woken up long ago to the risk that the US under Trump would leave them exposed to Russia. Now they will need to rearm and fill gaps at speed. And -looking at the UK, for example - finance ministries can't be allowed to decide whether a nation is defended or not.
An important piece of work by my @centreeuropeanref.bsky.social colleague @armida.bsky.social . The apparent collapse of the FR-GE-ES FCAS aircraft project shows again the gap between Europe's rhetoric & its performance in rearmament. This paper offers some potential quick wins.
'Re-arming Europe: Short-term priorities for personnel, public support and procurement': @armida.bsky.social of @centreeuropeanref.bsky.social introduces her timely paper tonight in co-operation with Hanns-Seidel-Stiftung at the Bavarian Representation in Brussels. share.google/IjoMy2y0sUmh...
Ian Bond
🔎 This analysis on Xpert.Digital explains why Germany has become the “epicenter of the China Shock 2.0.” 🚨 It shows how massive Chinese subsidies, overcapacities, and an undervalued exchange rate…
Former MI6 Chief Richard Moore: Ending the war requires Putin’s desire to stop. There has never been any indication that he wants to end his war of aggression against Ukraine.
We must lean in harder alongside Ukrainians to help them stop Russia from bombing defenseless civilians
Wow. UK defence sec'y John Healey resigns. His resignation letter says DIP settlement he was given "falls well short of what is required for defence and the country" and that UK would be spending just 2.68% of GDP in 2030.
Ian Bond
Centre for European Reform
Video
John Healey is right. The UK is spending too little & failing to learn from Ukraine’s experience of modern war. And the Treasury shows no sign of interest in whether the UK can defend itself or not. A PM's priority should be to ensure the country's national security.
FREDERIKSEN: One of the things where I have disagreed with some of my colleagues is all the red lines that have been put on Ukraine, because I don't think you can win a war with red lines.
You remember in the beginning, we were willing to give away some of our F-16s.
Video
Kate from Kharkiv
Shashank Joshi
Kate from Kharkiv
Ian Bond
Wow. UK defence sec'y John Healey resigns. His resignation letter says DIP settlement he was given "falls well short of what is required for defence and the country" and that UK would be spending just 2.68% of GDP in 2030.
Pentagon likely to cancel planned Tomahawk cruise missile sale to Germany, Politico reports, citing U.S. fears of provoking Russia, though the headline downplays the other elephant in the room: bigly depleted stockpiles (attributed to Iran, not Ukraine or Israel). www.politico.com/news/2026/06...
Europe needs to rapidly improve its deterrence.
A new @centreeuropeanref.bsky.social / Hanns Seidel Foundation paper by @armida.bsky.social outlines key steps European governments can take in the next 1-2 years to accelerate rearmament, readiness and deterrence efforts.
Read here: buff.ly/rwfLU1S
Shashank Joshi
“Against the background of declining US engagement in defending Europe, what is Europe doing to prepare to defend itself? @cerianbond.bsky.social asked @armida.bsky.social in the latest @centreeuropeanref.bsky.social podcast, listen here: buff.ly/yKHfhrU
Kevin Rothrock
Centre for European Reform
Centre for European Reform
My latest for @policymag.bsky.social
“we should not be looking for a change of heart in the Kremlin, but for signs of a systemic failure [..]
Until then, hopes for a “negotiated settlement” serve only to prolong the bloodshed. Russia will not take an off-ramp; it needs to be defeated.”
On one hand, we have President Volodymyr Zelensky’s open letter to Vladimir Putin, a document that invites the Russian president to a face-to-face meeting to
