Overview

⏱️Schedule:  Doors 18:30 → Talk 19:00→ Q&A → Mingle
🌐Language: English

The relationship between Europe and Russia is at one of its lowest points in decades. On the surface, this looks like a story about war, security, gas, sanctions and power – and in many ways it is. But this tension is not new. For centuries, Europe and Russia have competed over resources, influence and safety, while at the same time depending on each other economically and strategically.

Beneath all of this runs another, quieter force: identity.

Again and again, Russia has tried to “become” European – and repeatedly failed or been rejected. Europe, in turn, has often defined itself in contrast to Russia, sometimes even as “non-Russia”. Beyond diplomacy and pipelines, both sides have struggled with how they see themselves and how they see each other. These conflicting self-images have deepened mistrust and made every crisis worse, especially after the last big attempt to become good neighbours in the 1990s.

This session dives into the long and often controversial history of how Europe and Russia have built their identities in relation to one another – and why these efforts never really aligned.

Together, we’ll look at:

• How identity quietly shaped “hard” politics - How ideas about “who we are” influenced economic ties, security thinking and foreign policy between Europe and Russia.

• Mutual mirrors and memes - How both sides have historically perceived and deliberately portrayed each other – including the caricatures, jokes and “memes” about each other that already existed in the 18th and 19th centuries.

• Identity as a driver of today’s crisis - How these long-standing identity conflicts feed into current tensions, including the war in Ukraine.

• Is there a way out of the identity trap? - Whether – and how – Europe and Russia could relate to each other differently, and what would need to shift in their self-understanding.

Expect an evening that connects history to today without becoming a shouting match: big narratives, surprising details, and a chance to think more clearly about why this relationship keeps going wrong – and what that means for all of us living in Europe now.

Speaker

Dr. Andrey Demidov

Researcher & Political Analyst on EU Democracy and EU–Russia Relations

Dr Andrey Demidov is a researcher and political analyst specialising in EU democracy, citizens’ assemblies and EU–Russia relations. He holds a PhD in EU Public Policy from Central European University in Budapest and has worked as a postdoctoral fellow and lecturer at the University of Amsterdam. He served as a project manager and researcher in the “New Democracy” programme at Bertelsmann Stiftung, where he focused on democratic innovation and citizen participation in Europe. Drawing on both academic work and his own background as a Russian living in Europe, he examines why the relationship between Russia and the West has become so conflict-ridden and how it might be reimagined. 

Location