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Dialogue with Russia. Russia Needs to Reset Relations with the West

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This report analyses Western-Russian relations and proposes a way forward for conducting dialogue with Russia. It offers an analysis of Russia’s relations with NATO and the EU, an overview of the bilateral relations of various Western countries with Russia, a glimpse of China’s role, and an assessment of the main interests and contentious issues in Western-Russian relations.

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Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Putin
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Moscow’s resurgent foreign policy and the undemocratic rule of President Vladimir Putin ended the relatively friendly relations that had been possible between Russia and the West in the 1990s. In the seven years since Russia annexed Crimea and started a war of attrition against Ukraine, the security situation in the transatlantic region has continuously deteriorated. The Kremlin has demonstrated hostility towards the West, crises and security issues have continued to multiply instead of being resolved, and the risk of outright conflict has come close to Cold War peaks. There is an obvious and urgent need to lower tensions, but Moscow prefers to demonstrate its readiness to escalate.

This report proposes that the West should strive for a relationship to be conducted on a purely pragmatic basis, rather than another ‘reset’ and recommends that decision-makers in Western countries should:

  • abandon the idea of a possible ‘reset’ in relations with Russia. A new concept could be developed that would be aimed at creating a new basis in Western-Russian relations satisfying Western (security) interests and bringing Russia to the negotiating table;
  • agree that that NATO and the EU should work out a common and comprehensive long-term approach to Russia;
  • accept that there is no need to draw subjective or arbitrary ‘red lines’ that Russia would be tempted to cross. It is sufficient to constantly remind the Kremlin that its obligations under the UN Charter, the documents of the OSCE and other legal and political instruments are the ‘red lines’ that it should not cross;
  • continue to strengthen its deterrence and defence in Europe, particularly on NATO’s eastern flank. NATO’s strategic communication (and that of individual member states) consisting of both political statements and military and defence actions should be better coordinated and calibrated;
  • put forward a new ‘Normandy format’ with the participation of the EU, the US, Ukraine, and Russia. It is for the Western nations – not Moscow – to decide who represents the West;
  • avoid further vacuums that would be filled by Russia. Western countries should continue to support strongly democratic governments and forces and bring relevant issues to the UN Security Council and other relevant bodies. The mistakes made in Syria and Libya should not be repeated;
  • strive for as much solidarity as reality allows. The Kremlin will look for cracks in Western unity and exploit them. Sanctions are a key Western tool, in addition to defence and security measures, in dealing with Russia when Moscow flouts internationally agreed norms of behaviour;
  • be more willing and able to engage China (as well as other BRICS countries like India and Brazil) in jointly helping to rebuild failed countries. The Kremlin will then more likely feel the need to improve relations with the West; and
  • refuse proposals by Russia to ‘exchange guarantees’ of non-interference in each other’s internal affairs. ‘Non-interference pacts’ never mean what they say. Dialogue between the West and Russia will remain extremely difficult and barely fruitful as long as the Kremlin believes that solving any conflicts will weaken Moscow’s positions and that frequent and threatening demonstrations of military power are the only way that Moscow will be taken seriously.

> Read the full report on the ISCE website

 

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978-9916-9657-5-7

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Tatiana KASTOUÉVA-JEAN

Intitulé du poste

Directrice du Centre Russie/Eurasie de l'Ifri

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Russie, Eurasie, Carte
Russia/Eurasia Center
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Founded in 2005 within Ifri, the Russia/Eurasia Center conducts research and organizes debates on Russia, Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and the South Caucasus. Its goal is to understand and anticipate the evolution of this complex and rapidly changing geographical area in order to enrich public discourse in France and Europe and to assist in strategic, political, and economic decision-making.

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dimitri_minic_journal_of_strategic_studies_volume_47_2024

How the Russian Army Changed its Concept of War, 1993-2022

Date de publication
23 May 2023
Accroche

The traditional and high-intensity war that has occurred in Ukraine since Russia decided to invade raises a key issue: did post-soviet Russian strategic thought really prepare Russia for waging this war?

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Russia's Nuclear Deterrence Put to the Test by the War in Ukraine

Date de publication
06 October 2025
Accroche

From the outset of its “special military operation” (SVO) against Ukraine on February 24, 2022, Russia, which possesses one of the world’s largest nuclear arsenals, has adopted aggressive deterrence measures and a resolutely menacing rhetorical stance.

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Moldova's Crucial Parliamentary Election. What's at Stake?

Date de publication
22 September 2025
Accroche

On the occasion of Moldova’s National Day, August 27, 2025, Chișinău hosted a high-level European delegation composed of Emmanuel Macron, Friedrich Merz and Donald Tusk, who sought to reaffirm their support for the country’s sovereignty and pro-European course. This unprecedented and highly symbolic visit took place at a pivotal moment. Moldova is preparing for decisive parliamentary elections on September 28, whose stakes extend far beyond the national framework.

Florent PARMENTIER
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War as Social Elevator: The Socioeconomic Impact of Russian Military Keynesianism

Date de publication
19 June 2025
Accroche

In order to finance its war effort, the Russian state has spent substantial sums of money and implemented a form of “military Keynesianism” that is transforming society at both the socioeconomic and cultural levels. This has partially rebalanced the wide disparities in wealth, levels of consumption, and social prestige in Russian society by granting significant financial and symbolic advantages to peripheral Russia, which has long been overlooked by the central government. 

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Vladimir Putin
quetions123/Shutterstock

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