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EU-Russia summit, 18 November - ECFR expert available to comment

17 Nov 09
 

 

Press advisory 

EU-Russia summit, 18 November - ECFR expert available to comment

European leaders are set to meet with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on 18 November in Stockholm for the EU-Russia summit.

ECFR Russia expert and senior policy fellow Andrew Wilson is available for interviews and comment.

Wilson co-authored the report The limits of enlargement-lite: European and Russian power in the troubled neighbourhood and co-edited What does Russia think?, a collection of essays from key Russian intellectuals (both published by ECFR). 

Twenty years after the Fall of the Berlin Wall, tensions between the EU and Russia remain high. Russia sees the EU as weak and divided, while the EU remains confused over whether President Obama's aim to're-set' US relations with Russia will leave them out in the cold.

Most of the controversy surrounding this summit seems to be around the venue: Russia tried to have the summit moved to Brussels because Sweden has been very critical of Russia's role in the 2008 Georgia War. To add further fuel, Sweden wants to raise the assassination of human rights campaigners in Russia at the summit.  

Wilson believes the prospect of another gas cut-off this winter could cause further friction. Prime Minister Vladimir Putin repeated threats last week that he will reduce Ukraine's gas supplies if it fails to pay on time.

For press enquiries, Andrew Wilson can be reached at:

For other press queries please send an email to .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address), or call +44 (0) 207 031 1623.

ECFR podcasts are now up and running on iTunes.

Podcasts include "ECFR agenda", where ECFR's experts talk about what's coming up in the world of European foreign relations and reflect on what has already happened. This week's edition is with Andrew Wilson on how the EU-Russia summit on 18 November could make headlines. Click here for the audio. 

Click here to subscribe to this podcast via iTunes.

ECFR podcasts and videos reflect the views of the individual contributors, not the collective views of ECFR. 

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