The Concept of the European Union and Usa Strategy in Relations With the Russian Federation (Late 20th – Early 21st Century)

Abstract

This research is devoted to identifying the causes of the crisis in the global security system, triggered by the large-scale invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation in February 2022. The foundational concept underlying the strategy of the European Union and the United States in developing relations with the Russian Federation post-Cold War is analyzed in the article. Specifically, contemporary approaches of the EU and the US towards Russia bear the hallmarks of the concept known as Wilsonianism, which became the bedrock of the foreign policy strategy of the US and European countries towards post-Soviet states. The study presents a critique of this concept and analyzes its weaknesses. It also attempts to explain the logic behind the decisions of Western politicians regarding Russia from the end of the Cold War to its large-scale invasion of Ukraine. Through historical examples, the author demonstrates why it is currently impossible to apply the principles of Wilsonianism in developing a strategy for relations with the Russian Federation. Specifically, this is related to the lack of a common value foundation on which this concept is based. At the same time, the feasibility and appropriateness of the United States and European Union countries returning to the so-called principle of Realpolitik in relations with the Russian Federation is analyzed, as such proposals are also being discussed in the contemporary Western intellectual community. According to the author, this concept is also incapable of ensuring lasting peace and stability in Europe, as demonstrated by the historical example of its dominance in the strategies of Old-World states in the second half of the 19th and early 20th centuries. Accordingly, its application under current conditions also does not seem beneficial for restoring stability in the international system. The research analyzes the most effective systems of international relations that have prevailed in the world over the last 200 years and explains why, under current conditions of a global security crisis, only one strategic concept of containment appears most attractive in terms of maintaining peace and stability.