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This week Maciek and Aga open the episode with a discussion on the latest news regarding Ukraine’s gains in the Kharkiv region, pushing back the Russian forces that have been occupying land there for the last several months. Later, Adam interviews Marie Dumoulin from the European Council on Foreign Relations. They talk about the debate around the EU-wide visa ban for Russian tourists, examine EU sanctions and how European states are working with Russian groups abroad.

The debate on a visa ban is not a settled one as there are arguments for both sides. We offer several resources below for you to learn more about the context of this debate, including another point of view in contrast to the guest speaker on today’s podcast.

“Why banning Russians from Europe is the right thing to do”, by Vladyslav Faraponov. New Eastern Europe 31 August 2022: https://neweasterneurope.eu/2022/08/31/why-banning-russians-from-europe-is-the-right-thing-to-do/

“The imperial mentality of unapologetic Russian oppositionists”, by Tomasz Kamusella. New Eastern Europe 26 August 2022: https://neweasterneurope.eu/2022/08/26/the-imperial-mentality-of-unapologetic-russian-oppositionists/

More about the Guest: Marie Dumoulin is the director of the Wider Europe programme at the European Council on Foreign Relations. Prior to joining ECFR, Dumoulin worked as a French career diplomat. She held a number of positions in French diplomatic missions abroad, e.g. in Turkmenistan, Algeria, Germany, and was seconded to the German Foreign Ministry during the German OSCE Chairmanship.

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