"The invasion of Ukraine by the Russian army marks a turning point in Europe"

"The invasion of Ukraine by the Russian army marks a turning point in Europe. It represents the first war of aggression in Europe since the Second World War. Russia has been pursuing foreign policy by military means again since the invasion of Georgia in 2008 at the latest. However, the invasion today will dwarf the Russian military interventions of the past in terms of the human suffering and destruction it will cause," says Prof Dr Nils-Christian Bormann, conflict researcher and Professor of International Political Studies at the Faculty of Management, Economics and Society at Witten/Herdecke University.

"Putin's war of aggression is the preliminary culmination of an aggressive nationalism that has regained importance in the past decade. This nationalism denies other ethnic groups and countries, such as Ukraine now, the right to exist and inevitably leads to political violence. Putin deliberately chooses historical moments that coincide with Russia's greatest territorial expansion in order to justify his invasion. However, the recognisable will to return to so-called golden ages leads directly to death and destruction."

"Against this backdrop, German and European policymakers must not only impose immediate sanctions, but also critically scrutinise the foreign policy principles of the last 30 years. Diplomacy and negotiations always involve two parties."