11. The Energy Crisis Requires a Military Solution that Compels NATO to Spend like Estonia
- Author:
- Leon Hartwell and Guillemette Guicherd
- Publication Date:
- 02-2023
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- LSE IDEAS
- Abstract:
- In this LSE IDEAS Strategic Update, the authors focus on the intimate relationship between the Russia-Ukraine war and the energy crisis, both for Ukraine and the rest of Europe. It is argued that although Western sanctions against Russia’s energy sector have been a welcome political statement, they have so far been inadequate. Moreover, in the absence of expanding Ukraine’s defence systems, supplying the country with critical equipment to rebuild its energy sector while it is under constant Russian bombardment has limited impacts. Consequently, the authors argue that to solve the energy crisis, both for Ukraine and the rest of Europe, NATO and its allies need to “spend like Estonia.” Spending like Estonia would, among others, entail ramping up support for Ukraine to 1.1% of each member state’s GDP. Such an approach could help Ukraine to decisively win the war in 2023, and it would help to avert a potential energy crisis during the next winter.
- Topic:
- NATO, Crisis Management, Energy, and Russia-Ukraine War
- Political Geography:
- Europe, Ukraine, and Estonia