By Olga Brusylovska

Russia's influence is fading, and the US is distracted. In the Eastern Partnership—an EU initiative for Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Belarus—China is emerging. Beijing promises to curb the Kremlin's nuclear blackmail and lures with investments. Why are "easy" Chinese funds dangerous, and how is the PRC seizing leadership?

The article is based on a qualitative analysis of the interview reports prepared by the partner institutions of the Geo-Power-EU project (The project 101132692 — GEO-POWER-EU — HORIZON-CL2-2023-DEMOCRACY-01 – Empowering the Geopolitical EU in the Eastern Neighbourhood and the Western Balkans) in order to provide an insight into the elites’ perception of the EU enlargement policy and the Eastern Partnership.

Read full article in Ukrainian.