* The authors would like to thank Dr. Yevgeniya Gaber (Senior Fellow, Atlantic Council), Bob Deen (Clingendael), and Alexandre Ferreira Gomes (Clingendael), as well as the policymakers, academics, and experts who contributed their insights during the interviews.
About the authors
Julia Soldatiuk-Westerveld is a Senior Research Fellow at the Clingendael Institute’s EU & Global Affairs Unit. Her research covers geopolitics, EU foreign and security policy in Eastern Europe and the Black Sea, multilateral cooperation, and peace and interstate conflict resolution, with a focus on the Russia–Ukraine war.
Ben Bekkering gathered operational, international, and managerial knowledge and experience during his 40 years as a naval officer. Soon after his retirement, he joined the Clingendael Institute as a Senior Associate Fellow, where his focus is on military strategy in relation to wider security challenges, NATO and EU affairs, and the maritime domain.
Emma Caals is a Junior Research Fellow at the Clingendael Institute’s Security Unit, specializing in Ukraine–NATO relations, warfare practices, knowledge exchange, and European security.
Giulio Damiani is a Research Assistant at the EU & Global Affairs Unit of the Clingendael Institute. His research focuses on international security, with a particular emphasis on EU foreign policy and transatlantic relations.
Photo credits
© Reuters. A screen grab from a video shows a floating production facility has been included in the fleet of deep-sea drilling and seismic exploration vessels, in Black Sea, Türkiye on July 26, 2024.