The Nordic-Baltic region has been important to both Germany and the UK for centuries, vital at various times to either their trading or their security interests or both. It has also been a crucial area for Russia, particularly from the time of Peter the Great, who founded St Petersburg on the Gulf of Finland in 1703 as Russia’s ‘window to Europe’. The region remains an important, and contested, area for both Russia and the West, vital in particular for Europe’s energy security and Russia’s energy exports. Regardless of the outcome of its war against Ukraine, Russia will continue to pay close attention to the region, and to pose a threat to the interests of Germany, the UK and other EU and NATO members there.
Author: Ian Bond, Deputy Director, CER.
This article is available on the CER website.
