EU-Russia Relations: Russia shuts down Nord Stream gas pipeline for repairs

Russia has reduced Nord Stream gas exports to Europe as the pipeline enters a scheduled 10-day maintenance period.

Although the routine repairs had been long-planned, some officials fear Russia might not restart the flow of gas in an attempt to destabilize Europe. Other repairs have missed deadlines in the past and now, Germany is bracing for a winter of limited gas supplies.

"As expected, Nord Stream 1 is at zero since this morning," Klaus Müller, the head of Germany's energy regulator, told Reuters on Monday.

"What happens at the end of the maintenance, nobody is able to say at this moment," he added. "We won't know any time sooner than a day before its scheduled end."

Read more at: Russia shuts down Nord Stream gas pipeline for repairs | News | DW | 11.07.2022

EU - Russia Relations: Russia’s Vladimir Putin counts on the EU to help him again - opinion

Russian President Vladimir Putin likes to think he is invincible. In his annual state of the nation address to both houses of parliament, the 68-year-old compared those who dare to stand up to the Kremlin to the jackal, Tabaqui, from Rudyard Kipling's "The Jungle Book."

"There are all kinds of little Tabaqui's hanging around Shere Khan, howling to appease their sovereign," Putin said, referring to a man-eating tiger, the book's main antagonist — a not-so-subtle hint at the relationship between the US and its allies, as seen from the point-of-view of the Kremlin. Although he did not say as much, it transpires that the Russian strongman sees himself as Mowgli, the book's main hero, a man who vanquished the tiger.

Read more: Opinion: Russia’s Vladimir Putin counts on the EU to help him again | Opinion | DW | 21.04.2021

EU-Russia Relations: Time to choose on Russia: regime first or people first? - by Gabrielius Landsbergis

The latest EU-Russia high level contact has served once again as a reminder how hard it is to engage with Moscow on its playground.

We, Lithuanians, better than anybody else know that such an attempt is always more likely to be a trap, rather than just a challenge.

Last week, at the EU Foreign Affairs Council, we arrived to a unanimous agreement to sanction some perpetrators from the Kremlin's inner circle.

Read more at: Time to choose on Russia: regime first or people first?

Russia-EU relations: Countering Putin's strategy of disorder - by Isabelle Mandraud and Julien Théron

Many European officials advocate for "dialogue" with Putin's Russia. But what sort of dialogue? To achieve which objectives? And at what price?

The recent trip in Moscow of Josep Borell, high representative of the European Union for foreign affairs and security policy, turned to an affront for the Europeans.

As he was talking with Sergei Lavrov, Russian foreign minister, Moscow announced the expulsion of three European diplomats, for the sole reason that they had observed pro-Navalny demonstrations.

This additional move is actually typical from Putinism, and should not surprise anybody.

Read more at: Countering Putin's strategy of disorder

EU-Russia Relations: Russia humiliates EU Foreign Relations Chief Borrell in Moscow - by Andrew Rettman

Russia had notified Germany, Poland, and Sweden that one each of their diplomats in Moscow was "persona non grata" at the same time as Borrell and Lavrov were speaking to media, EU sources told EUobserver.

It did so on grounds the diplomats took part in "unlawful" protests to free Russian opposition hero Alexei Navalny on 23 January, but timed its announcement to cause maximum offence to its guest.

Borrell had gone to Moscow, on his own initiative, in the first high-level EU trip of its type in four years.

He went to hold a "strategic" dialogue, on issues such as Middle East wars, and to pass on the EU message that Navalny must be freed.

Read more at: Russia humiliates Borrell in Moscow

EU - Russia Relations: holds off on fresh sanctions over Russia′s arrest of Navalny

European Union foreign ministers meeting in Brussels on Monday decided to hold off on slapping new sanctions on Moscow in response to the arrest of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny.

The talks came two days after a police crackdown on Navalny's supporters in which more than 3,500 people were detained during demonstrations that attracted tens of thousands of people.

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said the bloc's 27 members had condemned the mass arrests and agreed that Navalny's detention was "completely unacceptable." But ministers ultimately decided imposing fresh sanctions was "premature," according to one diplomat cited by AFP.

Read more at: EU holds off on fresh sanctions over Russia′s arrest of Navalny | News | DW | 25.01.2021

EU-Russia Relations: Can EU keep Navalny safe as he 'defies' Putin? - by Andrew Rettman

EU diplomacy might help keep Russian opposition hero Alexei Navalny safe when he "defies" Russian president Vladimir Putin by going home this weekend.

"I think it's unlikely he [Navalny] would be arrested at the airport, but I wouldn't be surprised if he was," Vladimir Ashurkov, a Russian émigré living in London who is a close associate of Navalny's, told EUobserver on Thursday (14 January).

Russia has already prepared two warrants for Navalny's arrest on bogus charges - parole violation and embezzlement, Ashurkov said.

"If they tried before, there's nothing to stop them from doing it in the future," Ashurkov also said on the risk to Navalny's life, after Putin's spy service, the FSB, poisoned Navalny last year.

Read more at: Can EU keep Navalny safe as he 'defies' Putin?

Russia- Europe: Towards Relations of Pragmatism And Responsible Interaction - by Igor Ivanov

The perpetual topic of Russia-Europe relations was one of the central themes at the recently concluded annual Munich Security Conference. It is no secret that these relations have, for a long time, been in a state of profound crisis. This was not only caused by the events in Ukraine, even though their significance and consequences for both Russia and Europe should by no means be understated. The roots are more profound, related to both parties being unprepared to develop optimal forms of their current interaction.

Nonetheless, speeches and discussions at the Conference showed signs that the involved parties are demonstrating a certain readiness to develop an optimal model for relations. In his opening speech, Germany’s President Frank-Walter Steinmeier clearly said, “Europe should not put up with the ever-greater alienation of Russia. We need other, better EU-Russia relations.” Most European leaders speaking at the Conference agreed, in one way or the other, with the notion that the current state of relations between Moscow and its western neighbours is unreasonable and needs to be revised. As always, it boils down to the matter of what specific, mutually acceptable parameters new relations could have.

Read more at: Russia- Europe: Towards Relations of Pragmatism And Responsible Interaction - Modern Diplomacy

EU-Russian Relations: Mitigating the Russian challenge - by Evgeny Pudovkin

Russia : The Kremlin

 "It is time", the USSR leader Mikhail Gorbachev said in a 1989 speech, "to consign to oblivion the Cold War postulates when Europe was viewed as an arena of confrontation divided into 'spheres of influence'."

In place of old rivalries, Gorbachev laid out his vision of a "common European home". Russia and Europe, he declared optimistically, should work together "to transform international relations in the spirit of humanism, equality and justice".

Fast forward to 2017, and it is clear that things have not quite gone according to plan.

Gorbachev is defending Russia's takeover of Crimea. For the first time since the Cold War, Nato is opening new command centres in Europe.

The stakes involved in the EU-Russia relationship are still high.

The EU is the most important investor in Russia, as well as its largest trading partner. Moscow, for its part, remains a crucial energy and security player for Europe.

Yet at the core of the Russia-EU confrontation lies the fundamental disagreement over values and geopolitical zones of influence. Those differences are unlikely to be bridged soon.

The EU, built on the values of interdependence and liberal norms, is willing to engage with Moscow, but with strings attached. To access the community's perks – closer economic links, visa-free travel - the Kremlin is expected to abide by international laws and embrace liberalisation at home.

To Russia's leadership, those conditions are unacceptable. It sees its neighbourhood as the bulwark against Nato expansion and the wave of 'colour' revolutions. As for domestic liberalisation, it would destroy Vladimir Putin's regime, or, at least, seriously undermine it.

It is against this context that Russia's attempts to stoke troubles in Europe should be considered.

To deter Russia, the EU global strategy recommends, member-states, above all, must "strengthen the EU and enhance the resilience of our eastern neighbours".

The conspicuity of this observation doesn't render it any less relevant. Russian leadership values strength and preys on weakness.

Show the Kremlin that you cannot use a stick, and it will wrestle the carrot out of your hands.

Thus, the most obvious thing the EU can do is to enhance its defensive capabilities. That means protecting eastern flunk, while also improving military mobility. Boosting cyber defence, too, is crucial, given recent attacks on Europe's infrastructure.

Response to Russian meddling in European politics, though, is a more nuanced challenge. Concerns over Moscow's malignant campaign - via TV, social media and financing of populist parties - are valid.

Yet it is also crucial to keep cool when confronting Russian propaganda.

The Kremlin's aim, as the US example showed, is to sow discord within Western politics, not necessarily to achieve a concrete electoral outcome.

That is why media panic – and attaching the 'Putin's stooge' label to any anti-establishment cause – only plays into Moscow's hands.

The best way to deal with the Kremlin's meddling, therefore, is treating it more as a security issue than a political one.

Western agencies have learned about Russia's web campaign, so they can tackle it with considerable success in future. Reforms to increase transparency in party financing, likewise, is a useful step.

To bring Russia around to the idea of a common future on European terms requires demonstrating calm resolve. Moscow must understand that, despite its tricks, the EU's institutions will continue to work as normal.

But while Europe must demonstrate firmness, it is equally important to show what Moscow can gain by cooperating.

A deterrence-only approach to the Kremlin will only amplify its exuberance, leading to an endless 'action-response' cycle.

So, how can Russia be induced to cooperate?

Firstly, the EU should retain clear conditions for lifting economic sanctions on Russia. As the economist Vladislav Inozemtsev observed, wherever economic sanctions worked – like South Africa or Yugoslavia - they came with clear instructions of their relaxation or removal.

Heeding that, any comprehensive plan to resolve the Ukraine crisis should include the roadmap for sanctions relief.

The economic card is the strongest ace in the EU's deck. It must play it wisely.

Secondly, there is a need to communicate with Russia in the way that brings maximum utility. Putin's regime is here to stay. Nonetheless, it can still be affected, even if incrementally.

To facilitate change, it may be worth raising commercial and human rights concerns with Moscow on diplomatic level rather than just in the media. This approach will assure the Kremlin that Western concerns are genuine, and not an attempt to embarrass it.

Before any progress is achieved with Russia, things may get even more muddled. To succeed, Europe must demonstrate strategic patience.

Evgeny Pudovkin is a journalist writing on European politics, Russia and foreign affairs including the EUObserver

EU-Digest

EU-Russia Relations, EU pledge to continue dialogue despite sanctions: Juncker

Dialog not confrontation

Russia and the EU should continue their dialogue despite sanctions, the European Commission head Jean-Claude Juncker has said at the St. Petersburg Economic Forum. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov responded by saying that Russia is in favor of an equal, mutually beneficial, but not selective dialogue.

"We can have no illusions about the problems weighing on our relationship today. They exist. It would be pointless, even dangerous, to ignore them. We must tackle them urgently," Juncker added."I have strong preference for pipelines that unite, rather than pipelines that divide," he added, as quoted by Reuters.

The dialogue should start with discussing the Minsk agreements, and ensuring the norms and rules of international law, Juncker said.

"Russia's actions have shaken the principles of European security. Sovereignty, sovereign equality, the non-use of force, and territorial integrity matter. They cannot be ignored," he added.

As for Ukraine, it should make its own decisions regarding relations with all states, including with Russia and the EU, or both, and the choice should be respected, Juncker said, adding that a stable Ukraine would do the Russian economy good, too.

Juncker also defended his decision to arrive in Russia for the summit, saying it was just common sense to continue the dialogue with Moscow despite any tensions, and that he knew some didn't support his step to come to St.Petersburg. He said he was expecting "frank" negotiations with President Vladimir Putin on many subjects.

Russia has never courted confrontation with the West and is always open to dialogue, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said during the St. Petersburg Economic Forum.

“The current crisis should help us, as well as the EU, understand how to proceed. We will neither take offense nor go into isolation,” Lavrov added.

“We have carried out an inventory of our relations with the EU, drafted it on paper, and have an extensive document. We’ll give it to our colleagues and offer to conduct an inventory together,” Lavrov said.

The foreign minister also said that the EU is a most important economic partner for Moscow, and expressed his certitude that “the development of various ties in economics, politics, culture, security directly aligns with the interests of both Russia and European countries.”

The EU is Russia's main trading partner (44.8 percent of Russia's foreign trade in 2015). Russia is the fourth largest trade partner of the bloc after the US, China and Switzerland, plus the biggest natural gas supplier to the EU and one of its biggest oil suppliers.

However, due to recent tensions, trade between Moscow and Brussels sharply dropped from $417.7 billion in 2013 to $235.7 billion last year.

The St. Petersburg International Economic Forum is held on June 16-18, focusing on the theme ‘Capitalizing on the New Global Economic Reality’.

Read more: Russia, EU pledge to continue dialogue despite sanctions: Juncker | Russia