- Solidarity
The EU is an extremely important market for Russia, particularly for its energy exports. Moscow has been attempting to move ahead with closer cooperation on energy issues despite tensions with some of the EU's eastern member states. But during the summit, EU Commission President Manuel Barroso emphasised that further cooperation between the two sides will need to be based on the understanding that “a difficulty for a member state is a difficulty for the whole European community.”
At a press conference after the talks, Russian president Vladimir Putin was visibly frustrated by this demonstration of solidarity, and questioned its value: "We often hear about the need for solidarity. Are there any limits to solidarity? Are there any questions that should be decided internally?"
- The impact of enlargement
The discussions on solidarity are clearly linked to enlargement, since historic disputes and tense relations between Russia and Poland in particular have filtered into relations between the two trading blocs. In the run-up to the summit, when asked about the tensions in EU-Russia relations, an EU spokesperson stated that the “impact of enlargement has been felt by both sides."
- No go for Kosovo
An EU diplomat has stated that Russia intends to veto an upcoming UN Security Council Resolution on Kosovo's independece, stating that the future of the province should be decided by Serbia.
