VLAD WHO?:

The consequences of Russia's challenge to the established European security order, however, go beyond likely Finnish and Swedish NATO membership. Ukraine, together with Georgia and Moldova, has already been pushed into submitting a bid for EU membership.

These bids might take years to come to fruition. But they signify a trend not only of further alignment, but also of deeper division within Europe. As the antagonism between east and west grows, it reduces the space for states to exist in-between rival powers.

This, in turn, is also likely to have implications for other neutral states. Switzerland has increasingly aligned with the EU on Russian sanctions. Austria and Ireland have long participated in the EU's common security and defense policy.

The strong and united western response to Russia's aggression against Ukraine is only going to further consolidate this trend.

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