Russia’s military campaign in Ukraine is now two years old. The statement that everything will be decided on the battlefield has become axiomatic, but the assessment of the results has changed. A year and a half ago, the head of EU diplomacy, Josep Borrell, spoke with optimism. But now he …
Read More »Fyodor Lukyanov: 2024 could be the year when the West’s liberal elites lose control of the world order
This year began with one fierce military confrontation of global significance and ends with two. And there is no guarantee that they will not continue until the end of 2024. The chain of conflicts, seemingly territorial but essentially existential (at least in the perception of those involved), may prove to …
Read More »Fyodor Lukyanov: UN feedback shows that while the West is hostile to Russia, the world isn’t
The UN’s High-Level Week – an annual gathering of senior representatives of member states who address the General Assembly – is taking place in New York. It is a period of speeches of varying length and intensive contacts between ministers or even heads of state, depending on the status of …
Read More »Fyodor Lukyanov: The glory years of the G20 are over
The annual G20 summit is taking place in India this weekend. Any gathering of leaders of this caliber (and the 20 largest economies are the ones that really run the world) is a major event. All the more so because, in the context of the apparent weakening of traditional institutions …
Read More »Fyodor Lukyanov: G7 members want the rest of the world to join their crusade against Russia and China. They won’t succeed
On the eve of the final round of Turkey’s presidential election, the suspense has worn off. After the third-placed candidate from a fortnight ago, Sinan Ogan, announced his support for the incumbent, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s chances of gaining the extra 1.5% he needed for victory increased. However, the reality …
Read More »Fyodor Lukyanov: Russia’s role in the global economic order has turned out to be more significant than the West believed
After weeks of intensive negotiations, the European Union has agreed on a sixth package of sanctions against Moscow. Its main element is the cessation, by the end of this year, of oil imports from Russia delivered to the bloc’s market by sea. According to President of the European Commission Ursula …
Read More »Fyodor Lukyanov: Biden talks the talk, but is the US committed to meeting its international security obligations?
US President Joe Biden’s visit to South Korea and Japan this week was his first in East Asia since taking office. The importance of this trip is undeniable. Washington is working hard to bring together what is commonly called ‘the collective West’. Due to the fighting in Ukraine, Europe – in …
Read More »Fyodor Lukyanov: The end of an era
Russia’s military intervention in Ukraine has spelled the end of an epoch in the state of global affairs after President Vladimir Putin launched the action last week. Its impact will be felt for years to come, but Moscow has positioned itself to “become an agent of cardinal change for the …
Read More »Fyodor Lukyanov: How the world sleepwalked into another Cuban Missile Crisis
Towards the end of last year, Russia put forward a number of tough demands, phrased in the form of an ultimatum, to Washington and NATO. The content of two draft treaties offered to the West effectively called for a revision of the system of European security as it existed since …
Read More »Fyodor Lukyanov: Russia has made a breakthrough with NATO
The rapid descent of Russia’s relations with the West seems to have only just started, but has already shown something of a silver lining. The standoff over NATO expansion could arguably be a blessing in disguise, as it very swiftly removed the layer of hypocrisy with which these relations have …
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