US-Russia Relations Aren’t Going to “Cool Down”

About the author: JinShen Wei is a PhD at the Russian Research Center of Shanghai International Studies University.

As the G-8 Summit at Camp David wraps up, the question of whether U.S.-Russia relations will change has again become an important focal point of international politics. According to Xinhua News, President Vladimir Putin, who missed the G-8 Summit, wrote to President Barack Obama and expressed his views on the following issues: security affairs, bilateral relations and regional cooperation. The two presidents are scheduled to meet at the G-20 Summit next month.

Putin has become an expert on pragmatic foreign policy. Winning by surprise and developing new styles of foreign policy have always been Putin’s, as well as Russia’s, characteristics. Between G-8 and G-20, it seems Russia focuses more on its strategic positioning at G-20 than at G-8, because compared to the seven wealthy nations, Russia has little say. Therefore, Russia has very limited chances of bringing its influences into play. On the contrary, there might be voices against Russia. By comparison, Russia faces a very different situation at G-20; as the only representative of the former Soviet Union and the socialist Eastern bloc countries, it plays a vital and leading role in the establishment of a unified economic environment between Europe and Asia. Thus, it isn’t hard for us to understand why Putin, after another return to the presidency, chose to meet Obama at the G-20. It is also impossible for Russia to skip the U.S.—the major international rule maker—to implement its ideas on diplomatic strategies through international organizations. This year, the G-20’s main focuses are “restoring the world’s economic stability and growth, strengthening international financial institutions, and improving the world financial system, etc.” Russia, of course, wants to make recognizable contributions on all the topics.

On one hand, Russia’s “preference for the G-20 and distance with the G-8” shows that there are great differences in international politics between the two nations, as well as the G-8’s inability to solve the world’s economic problems. On the other hand, such preference further proves Russian leaders’ pragmatic practice of foreign policy, given that two countries have been seriously disputing over the European anti-missile plan, which Russia claims is a deadly threat to its strategic security.

Putin has always placed more emphasis on the increasingly important G-20, whose importance is further highlighted by the world economic crisis. Currently, G-20 is the world’s main economic body that coordinates economic policies, promotes adjustments of the international financial system, and stabilizes the world’s economy. The significance of the G-20 lies in the establishment of an international mechanism that provides solutions to world economic issues. Undoubtedly, Russia prefers the G-20, through which it will play a more important role.

During Putin’s two former presidencies and single term as prime minister, Russia actively adopted foreign policies focusing on its role in international organizations, striving for dominance. As a result, the policies themselves have evolved into a complete diplomatic strategic system. Putin, who returned to the presidency promising to bring miraculous changes to the Russian people, intends to make extensive and effective use of Russia’s role in important international organizations.

As for G-8, it also seems reasonable for the Prime Minister, Dmitri Medvedev, to attend on behalf of Putin. As the former Russian president, his appearance again symbolizes the continuation of Russia’s pragmatic foreign policy. Furthermore, Putin has never believed that Russia is a follower of the other seven G-8 members; he always fights for equal status. He places great emphasis on Russia’s stake in international matters and never makes compromises on issues involving Russia’s national interests. It is worth noting that the biggest differences between Russia’s foreign policy through its role in international organizations and that of the Soviet Union’s are that Russia has abandoned the traditional tactic of using ideology as a policy standard. Instead, Russia focuses on real issues, like Russia’s national interests and the establishment of Russia’s image as a major world power.

Regardless of the differences, the U.S. is still the major decisive factor in global politics, and the U.S.-Russia relationship remains one of the most important international bilateral relationships. In the words of Russia’s former Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov, “Today, there are no important global issues that can be solved without the involvement of Moscow and Washington, D.C.” So, Putin’s strategies for G-8 are only small episodes rather than “Cold War” signals of U.S.-Russia relations.