The Ukraine crisis is forcing the EU to abandon normative power and act more strategically in its eastern neighbourhood

The EU has often been conceived of as a ‘normative power’ in the sense that it exerts influence by promoting values and norms through technocratic cooperation and diplomacy. Cristian Nitoiu writes that the net effect of the crisis in Ukraine has been to encourage the EU to adopt a more geostrategic approach to its eastern neighbourhood, particularly in its relations with Russia.