TOWARDS THE SUNSET OF EU-RUSSIA STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP?

This paper analyzes the future of the EU-Russia strategic partnership in order to observe that it is still viable for dealing with the actual regional and global challenges. The recent events in Ukraine have revealed the asymmetries between the two global players and an antagonism regarding the approaches to key political agendas as security, democracy or energy. In this context, the European Union's relation with Russia seems to have reached a defining moment, both of them considering the policies of the other part as threatening its own political and economic interests. As this situation is unlikely to change in the foreseeable future, it is hard to affirm that the official partnership existing between European Union and Russia is also a de facto partnership. Moreover, this paper suggests that the European Union and Russia would further compete for influencing the common neighbourhood, competition that would decline their strategic partnership and would cause a gap in their relation. Even if is undeniable that Russia will remain a strategic player at the international level, in the current environment, the option of competition between EU and Russia seems to be the most viable for both players, fact that indicates the inoperability of their strategic partnership. However, the end of this paper provides an overview of the possible evolution of EU-Russia relationship in the future, stating that the interdependence existing between them would avoid a direct confrontation.