French and British perspectives on Russia's war in Ukraine and the future of the European security order

Thursday 27 November 2025
6.30pm - 8pm
In-person public event (Malaysia Auditorium, CBG)

Hosted by the Department of International Relations and LSE IDEAS

Russia's aggression of Ukraine has fractured the European security order and determined a marked shift in the security and defence agendas of key European countries, NATO and the EU. 

This panel will discuss how France and the UK responded to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and how they framed, and addressed, the implications of the war in Ukraine for European security. It will also look at areas of convergence and divergence between London and Paris and focus on their priorities at the current critical juncture, with a view to achieving a just and lasting peace for Ukraine.

Meet our speakers

Marion Messmer is a Senior Research Fellow in the International Security Programme at Chatham House. 

Bruno Tertrais is Deputy Director of the Foundation for Strategic Research (FRS), and a non-resident Senior Fellow at the Institut Montaigne. 

Peter Watkins (CB, CBE) is a Senior Visiting Fellow with LSE IDEAS, a Visiting Professor with King's College London, an Associate Fellow at Chatham House and a former senior official with the UK Ministry of Defence.

Richard G Whitman is Professor of Politics and International Relations at the University of Kent, a Senior Fellow of the UK in a Changing Europe initiative, and a Senior Associate Fellow at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI).

Chair

Teona Giuashvili is the DINAM Fellow in the Department of International Relations at LSE.

This public event is free and open to all. No ticket or pre-registration is required. Entry is on a first come, first served basis.

For any queries email ir.events@lse.ac.uk.

Find out more about the event and register

Forged or fragmented? Europe in times of crisis

Thursday 22 January 2026
6.30pm - 8pm
In-person public event (Marshall Building, MAR.1.04)

Jean Monnet envisioned that the joint pursuit of practical solutions to common challenges can reinforce European integration. In recent years, the EU has confronted a poly-crisis, as overlapping threats and challenges have increasingly compounded one another. 

The event explores how today’s strategic landscape, including Russia’s war against Ukraine, hybrid campaigns, a volatile transatlantic relationship and intensifying geo-economic competition, is affecting Europe’s priorities, European politics and European integration. Will the existing threats and challenges forge a more united Europe or splinter it?

Meet our speakers

Mikaela Gavas is the Managing Director of The Center for Global Development (CDG) Europe and a Senior Policy Fellow. 

Caroline de Gruyter is a Member of the Board of Bruegel and a Europe correspondent and columnist for the Dutch newspaper NRC Handelsblad. 

Chair

Teona Giuashvili is the DINAM Fellow in the Department of International Relations at LSE.

This public event is free and open to all. No ticket or pre-registration is required. Entry is on a first come, first served basis.

For any queries email ir.events@lse.ac.uk.

Find out more about the event and speakers