World Archives

Russian President Vladimir Putin, who was inaugurated for a new six-year mandate on 7 May, has signed ambitious decrees, but very little is expected to change in the way the country will deal with foreign investors, argues Bogdan Sumenko.

Little will change in the poor management of Russia's energy sector with the return of Valdimir Putin as president of Russia, says Mikhail Krutikhin in an analysis initially published the European Union Institute for Security Studies.
 

As the world turns against nuclear power and the prices of fossil fuels rise, Russia is proactively expanding its oil and gas projects through tax cuts and cooperation with Western companies, says Ivan Matiyeshyn.

Russian home and industrial consumers have traditionally enjoyed generous subsidies for natural gas. Today, the Kremlin finds itself in a tough spot - satisfying domestic constituents or authorising dramatic rises in gas prices to fund major projects planned the Gazprom monopoly, Stratfor analysts say.

Although not always directly, China has made clear that it won't support the severely wounded eurozone either by a blank cheque nor huge investments until it shows that it can first save itself, writes Duncan Freeman from the Brussels' Institute of Contemporary China Studies.

Norwegian and Russian energy relations might be put at risk when it comes to the exploration and acquisition of untapped energy resources in the Arctic with both countries increasing their militarisation in the area, Stratfor writes.

With the right manoeuvres, the EU and the US could create a new base of negotiations with the Iranian government where the implementation of its nuclear programme would not be out of question but would create mutual benefits, argues Francisco Galamas and Jelena Petrovic.

While Europe is cutting its defence budgets due to the financial crisis, emerging countries are strengthening their military power, leading to a geopolitical shift in the international arena, writes Gergely Varga.

Greater gas discounts combined with an offer to build natural gas storage facilities may help Russia increase its leverage in Turkey, writes Stratfor.

A recent meeting in Berlin between Russia, Poland and Germany revealed Poland's delicate position in the debate between Russia and NATO over missile defence, according to Stratfor.

As Ukraine remains dependent on Gazprom for its gas supplies under unequal measures, it is high time for the country to search for alternative carriers, writes Ivan Matiyeshyn, founder of People First.

Europe should engage more firmly with Asia not only in trade but also in foreign policy, climate issues and resource efficiency if it is to regain its powerful role in the international arena, argue Giles Merritt and Shada Islam from Friends of Europe.

The EU should first put its own house in order before proceeding to pompous statements that demonise other leaders, such as Vladimir Putin, argues N. Peter Kramer for the European business review.

Russia has begun to diversify its oil transport routes to avoid dependence on certain transit countries, writes Stratfor. 
?

 
Ahead of Russia’s presidential election on 4 March, analyst Viktor Tkachuk hopes Russia will be able to transform its democratic model.

In the case of Syria, European policymakers should draw lessons from the last Libyan intervention and aim at a strong collective security framework under the aegis of the EU, writes Giles Merritt from Security & Defence Agenda.

As the Syrian bloodshed continues, the European Union finds itself once again trapped behind mild rhetoric and condemnation, writes Vivien Pertusot from the French institute of international relations (Ifri).

As tensions between the United States and Russia increase over issues such as missile defence and WTO accession, Moscow is attempting to create a rift between Central Europeans and their North American allies, argues Lauren Goodrich.

Ukraine should establish a fruitful cooperation with the EU in order to disengage itself from the pressure imposed by the Kremlin and become an equal partner in their bilateral relations, says Vladimir Mischenko from the Ukrainian organisation 'People First'.

MEPs need to keep sight of the bigger picture regarding the new sets of regulations that European Commission is releasing on 7 December on EU external action and development strategy, warn experts from European Think-Tanks Group, in order to preserve the major role that EU holds in the field of international development.

As tensions rise with Ukraine, as Russia seeks to establish a Eurasian Union, and as Vladimir Putin stands unopposed for the Russian presidency, one has to ask whether the European Union has written off the concept of one Europe and is now helping to build a new psychological wall in the East, says Viktor Tkachuk, head of "People First".

As Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych weighs the economic benefits of the EU’s deep and comprehensive Free Trade Agreement and Russia’s Customs Union offer, Ukraine’s energy and security needs must be taken into consideration, argues Stephen Christensen.

Even as Ukraine formally gets closer to the European Union with the negotiations on an Association Agreement, the country's extreme economic insecurity and need for foreign capital to finance its debt are enabling a dramatic rise in Russian influence, argues Sonya Koshkina.

The European Union's plans to break up energy monopolies pose a direct threat to Russia's own hopes to maintain and enlarge its domination of energy markets in several EU member states, says Eugene Chausovsky.