Russia’s challenge to the EU runs deeper than energy dependency or blockages in the UN. Russia is emerging as an ideological alternative to the EU that offers a different approach to sovereignty, power and world order. Whereas the EU stands for an idea of order based on consensus, interdependence and the rule of law, Russian foreign policy is motivated by a quest for power, independence and control. The EU’s main concern is to ensure that its neighbourhood is peaceful and well-governed. Russia wants to expand its sphere of influence and achieve control of economic interests and energy assets in.
