The Geopolitical Consequences of Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on 24 February was an unparalleled attack by a permanent member of the UN Security Council not only on an independent sovereign state, but on the entire post World War II system  for international security and rules-based multilateral governance. The West responded in three main ways: by launching an unprecedented package of economic and financial sanctions targeting Russia’s ability to sustain
the war; by expanding and strengthening the NATO military alliance; and through the development of a very large-scale package of economic/humanitarian, military and political support for Ukraine.

Taken together, Russia’s action and the response it triggered from the West are having wide ranging geopolitical consequences, which in turn are transforming the global economy. This box discusses the four main geopolitical impacts from the war to date.