Experts & Staff
Gustav Gressel

Gustav Gressel

ECFR Alumni · Senior Policy Fellow

Areas of expertise

Eastern Europe; Russia; armed conflict and military affairs; defence policy; missile defence; missile proliferation

Languages

German and English (fluent), Spanish and Polish (conversational)

Biography

Gustav Gressel was a senior policy fellow with the Wider Europe Programme at the European Council on Foreign Relations’ Berlin office. His topics of focus include Russia, Eastern Europe, and defence policy.

Before joining ECFR, Gressel worked as a desk officer for international security policy and strategy in the Bureau for Security Policy of the Austrian Ministry of Defence from 2006 to 2014, and as a research fellow of the Commissioner for Strategic Studies with the Austrian MoD from 2003 to 2006. He was also a research fellow with the International Institute for Liberal Politics in Vienna. Before his academic career he served five years in the Austrian Armed Forces.

Gressel holds a PhD in Strategic Studies at the Faculty of Military Sciences at the National University of Public Service, Budapest and a Masters Degree in political science from Salzburg University. He is the author of numerous publications regarding security policy and strategic affairs and a frequent commentator on international affairs. His opinions have appeared in media such as the New York Times, the Guardian, Die Welt, NZZ, Bild, the DiplomatNew Eastern Europe, Foreign Policy, Gazeta PrawnaRzeczpospolita, Kyiv Post, the Moscow TimesCapital, the Telegraph, the EconomistNewsweek, Deutsche Welle, RTL, al Jazeera, TVP, TRT, Polskie Radio, RFI, FM4, Ukraine Today, and Radio Free Europe.

Shadow of the bomb: Russia’s nuclear threats

Russia is the first state to use nuclear threats as part of a war of expansion. Unless it loses in Ukraine, the world will become a far more dangerous place

Ukraine: Time for the West to prepare for the long war

Russia is drawing on its Syria playbook and regrouping for a long war to seize the whole of Ukraine. The West needs to take action now to supply Ukraine with Western equipment

Out of the dark: Reinventing European defence cooperation

Russia’s all-out war on Ukraine has convinced many European states to rebuild their militaries. In doing so, they should initially focus on readiness, capability gaps, and joint equipment procurement and research

Publications

Articles

Ukraine’s survival: Three scenarios for the war in 2024

Russia has gained the upper hand in its war on Ukraine. To reverse Moscow’s progress, the West will need to invest more in supporting Kyiv. With this in mind, here are three scenarios for what could happen in 2024

After Nagorno-Karabakh: How Europeans can strengthen Armenia’s resilience

The question of Nagorno-Karabakh is unlikely to be discussed any time soon after Azerbaijan took control of the region in September. Europeans should now diplomatically engage with all sides to prevent further escalation, while supporting Armenia’s domestic political stability and strengthening its defence capabilities

The case for sending fighter jets to Ukraine

Ukraine needs fighter jets to counter Russia’s changing military approach. The US should learn from last year’s delay over tank deliveries and approve their release as soon as possible

Podcasts

Events

In the media