From historical bias to historical insight: shifting stereotypes about Central and Eastern Europe after the invasion of Ukraine

Abstract

Following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine (2022), several Western European leaders expressed regret for previously disregarding the warnings of multiple Central and Eastern European (CEE) governments concerning the threat of Russian aggression. In the past, such warnings were seen as residual anti-Russian sentiment rooted in the region’s historical experience during communism. Borrowing from social psychology, this article proposes a novel lens to study perceptions about CEE in European Union (EU) external policy through the concept of regional stereotypes. The empirical focus is on the Council, the main institution responsible for adopting EU policy on Russia and the Eastern neighbourhood. Using an interpretive approach, the goal is to examine how Council officials perceive the position of CEE governments after the invasion, compared to earlier reports. The exploratory analysis shows an emerging transformation of stereotypes about the region, which is starting to be recognised for its historical insight into Russia. The findings highlight the justificatory role of stereotypes in multilateral negotiations and how exogenous shocks can reshape their meaning.