European Responses to China’s Support for Russia in its War against Ukraine: A Study of the Czech Republic, Poland, and the Baltic States

This research project is situated within the broader scientific context of international relations, security studies, and European foreign policy. In recent years, the geopolitical landscape has been significantly shaped by China’s increasing global influence and its complex relationships with both Russia and the West, and it changed even more drastically when the Russia has started its full-scale invasion to Ukraine on February 24, 2022. The study would fill a gap in the literature on Europe-China relations in the context of the ongoing war in Ukraine. While most existing analyses focus on the EU’s collective stance or major Western European powers like Germany and France, this project highlights the often-overlooked perspectives of the Central-Eastern Europe (CEE) countries that are among the most vocal critics of Russian aggression. Relatively little or no scholarship has focused on how specific CEE countries, particularly the Czech Republic, Poland, and the Baltic states, perceive and react to China’s indirect support for Russia. By examining potential variations in the countries’ responses—particularly in light of their differing levels of support for Ukraine—the research aims to identify patterns and explanations behind these differences.

Faculty Supervisor:

Alexander Lanoszka

Student:

Partner:

Ivan Franko National University of Lviv

Discipline:

Sociology

Sector:

Public Service, Policy, and Governance

University:

University of Waterloo

Program: