Valdai Club

Some experts compare relations between Moscow and Kiev to those between the US and Cuba. Cuba, on the one hand, sought to be at the forefront of the fight against world capitalism, and on the other hand, was closely woven into American socio-political life. Nevertheless, there are factors that make the Russian-Ukrainian contradictions seem unlike the antagonistic relationship between Washington and Havana, writes Valdai Club Programme Director Andrey Sushentsov.

The energy systems have tremendous inertia, and it would be a strategic blunder to think that a political directive can provide the EU with alternatives to the Russian energy by a wave of the magic wand. The EU wants to be in control of when it stops importing Russian oil and gas, but this may not be possible, writes Vitaly Yermakov, Expert, Centre for Comprehensive European and International Studies, HSE University.

Russian-American relations are hitting another bottom, and now there is another NPT Review conference. With the departure of the founding fathers of the nuclear non-proliferation regime, the need for dialogue between the nuclear superpowers is more acute than during the Cold War, writes Adlan Margoev, Research Fellow, Institute of International Studies, MGIMO.

With Queen Elizabeth’s departure, no matter how we feel about the monarchy or Britain, an almost eternal constant has disappeared from our subconscious. After all, it is clear that on the scale of the life of an individual, 70 years is practically an eternity, writes Valdai Club Programme Director Oleg Barabanov.

Mikhail Gorbachev’s death caused a surge of debates on his political heritage. As expected, opinions were split. Negative comments focused on the Soviet Union’s dissolution, the consequences of which still affect us, for example, in the conflict with Ukraine.

Discussions about the US returning tactical nuclear weapons that were withdrawn from the Korean Peninsula in the 1990s have been going on for a long time, but they have noticeably intensified in recent months. In addition, the desire to strengthen the alliance with the United States will mean that given the new circumstances, Seoul will spare no effort to prove its value and reliability to Washington. Unfortunately, Russia may well find itself on the receiving end of these efforts, writes Valdai Club expert Andrei Lankov.

the SCO is witnessing increasing interest from the developing nations and one of the near-term issues concerns the possible expansion in the organization’s membership in the coming years as well as the possible creation of SCO development institutions. Valdai Club Programme Director Yaroslav Lissovolik writes on the SCO’s transition of the SCO towards a more economy-focused organization.

It is time for Russia to start thinking about adjusting to the Western restrictions, including by developing its own tanker fleet and abandoning the US dollar in oil deals. The latter is the prevalent task of Russia’s foreign trade in the new political conditions, writes Valdai Club Programme Director Ivan Timofeev.

Having decided to cast a direct military-political challenge to the West, Russia must demonstrate to all its non-Western partners that it was a successful, effective choice. How they perceive us will directly depend on the success of Russia’s actions in the conflict, not on half measures or dubious deal-making, writes Valdai Club Programme Director Oleg Barabanov.

The forthcomming summit of the Shanghai Coopertion Organisation is critically important for global peace and international security. The first post-pandemic, comprehensive, in-person meeting of the Eurasian G8 and its partners is expected to come off as a historic event, writes Rashid Alimov, Professor, Academy of Public Administration under the President of the Republic of Tajikistan, Doctor of Political Sciences, SCO Secretary-General (2016–2018).