It seems that European allies will be hoping for a change of US administration in the near future
A noticeable and, for many, unexpected outcome of 2025 was the difficulties that emerged in US-EU relations. Washington has made a sharp turn in its foreign policy across a number of areas. This shift has impacted cooperation with European allies. These changes stand in particular contrast to the Biden presidency, when the US and EU achieved unprecedented solidarity, including on the issue of containing...
... enjoyed by only a small group of countries, but they define the core of global politics.
Mikhail Luchina:
Debates on Dynamite
Responding to force with force is perhaps the oldest strategy. It defines the essence of war, as well as the anarchic nature of international relations. Everybody is out for himself. The weak should be beaten. If you want to survive, use force or threaten to do so, in response or pre-emptively. Peace is temporary, as is one’s choice of allies. The best means of ensuring security ...
The nuclear factor has once again begun to play a significant role in international relations
Autumn is usually a busy season in the nuclear sphere, and 2025 was no exception. In October, NATO held its Steadfast Noon nuclear exercises, followed by the U.S. Global Thunder drills and Russia’s strategic nuclear forces ...
The Annual Report of the Valdai Discussion Club
The Annual Report of the Valdai Discussion Club
We are told incessantly that the changes unfolding today are without historical parallel – but since when, one might ask. How many years have elapsed since the world last witnessed shifts of a similar magnitude?
Could it be 40 years, taking us back to the moment when changes taking place in the Soviet Union created a pathway for ending the Cold War and the military and ideological confrontation between...
Russian and Chinese experts discussed current international events and political trends, and exchanged their views on the key challenges for Russia and China in new circumstances
On September 15, 2025, a delegation from the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies (SIIS) visited the Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC). Russian and Chinese experts discussed current international events and political trends, and exchanged their views on the key challenges for Russia and China in new...
... that relations are transitioning to a new framework, and the prospect of entering the next stage, already represent a break in the pattern, given what has transpired over the last three and a half years. What will characterise the next transition in international relations, and what trump cards do its key participants hold?
Ivan Timofeev:
Russia and China in the Era of Trade Wars and Sanctions
The Putin-Trump summit drew a line under the reality that emerged after the start of Russia’s special ...
The ongoing spectacular U-turn in the bilateral relationship became possible only thanks to the personal position of the 47th President of the United States. The changes remain fragile and reversible
At this moment, the main driver of the emerging positive dynamics of the Russian-American dialogue is the personal desire of President Donald Trump to become the main peacemaker in resolving the conflict between Moscow and Kiev. Everything else, including the movement towards normalization of bilateral...
... and great powers to enable research on the dynamics of international hierarchy
Since 2021, a research team comprising faculty members and graduate students from MGIMO and HSE has been conducting an annual international expert survey on hierarchy in international relations (IR): the International Hierarchy Expert Survey (IHES). The survey was first conceived and conducted at the end of 2021 as part of a study on the relationship between states’ status and their roles in key global agendas. However,...
The restoration of diplomatic ties is a clear signal that the world is moving towards greater realism in international relations
The recent agreement between the United States and Russia to restore full diplomatic relations marks a significant milestone in global geopolitics. The talks held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, facilitated by senior officials from ...
... rather than as a challenge or a direct threat. This long-awaited shift in the national mentality will undoubtedly be one of the most significant tasks for the new generation of Russia’s political leaders.
First published in the
Horizons
(Center for International Relations and Sustainable Development)
