Normative Geopolitics : Strategic Narrative of the European Union in its Approach to the Russian Federation

This thesis studies the European Union’s approach to Russia during the Spring of 2025, as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine entered its fourth year and the USA, under Donald Trump’s presidency, dramatically disengaged from the security of Europe. The European Commission, supported by the European External Action Service, had in the preceding years gone far in establishing a common EU approach to Russia but not established a strategy as of such. The Spring of 2025 therefore constituted a pivotal moment for the EU. The thesis assessed the EU’s Russia approach according to two criteria; its narrative coherence and political support. Narrative coherence followed on the concept of strategic narratives to uncover the ideational workings of the policies. Accounts on the strategic narrative, and political contestation surrounding them, were collected through interviews with EU officials and policy experts, primarily in Brussels. The thesis found that the current EU approach to Russia adds a geopolitical element to the Union’s previous normative core; effectively synthesizing these into what may be labelled ‘normative geopolitics’. While not being formally adopted as a strategy, it is effectively enforced as an operational strategy through side-lining intra-EU dissenters.