Conclusion: Russia and Europe — Trajectories of Development

Abstract

The celebratory, even euphoric language that was once used to describe Russia’s relations with Europe (and indeed the West more generally) has been out of currency for several years. The vocabulary of analysis, since at least 1994, has tended toward either neutral terms that hint at a balanced, but nonetheless competitive relationship (‘pragmatism’ and ‘realism’), or labels suggestive of some fundamental schism (Russian foreign policy as ‘rigidly anti-western’).1 The use of such vocabulary is not without merit. Russia and the states of Europe (most obviously those centred on the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the European Union (EU)) have experienced differences over a large number of issues. Several of these disputes have been covered in this volume and there are others beside (the west European states, for instance, have objected to Russian sales of nuclear technology to Iran and anti-aircraft missiles to Cyprus).