Foreign relations of Russia

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article covers the foreign relations of Russia since the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991.

1 UN membership, NATO/EU partnership
2 Countries formerly part of the Soviet Union
3 Mediation in foreign international conflicts
4 Territorial disputes
5 Illicit drugs
6 Participation in international organizations
7 Foreign policy under Putin's presidency
8 Bilateral relations
9 See also
10 References
11 External links

[edit] UN membership, NATO/EU partnership

Main article: Russia and the United Nations

On December 27, 1991, the Russian Federation assumed the seat formerly held by the Soviet Union in the UN Security Council. Russia also is a member of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), Union of Russia and Belarus, Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and the North Atlantic Cooperation Council (NACC). It signed the NATO Partnership for Peace initiative on June 22, 1994. On May 27, 1997, NATO and Russia signed the NATO-Russia Founding Act, which the parties hoped would provide the basis for an enduring and robust partnership between the Alliance and Russia--one that could make an important contribution to European security architecture in the 21st century, though already at the time of its signing doubts were cast on whether this accord could deliver on these ambitious goals^[1]. This agreement was superseded by the NATO-Russia Council that was agreed at the Reykjavik Ministerial and unveiled at the Rome NATO Summit in May 2002. On June 24, 1994, Russia and the European Union (EU) signed a partnership and cooperation agreement.

[edit] Countries formerly part of the Soviet Union

The non-Russian countries that were once part of the USSR have been termed the 'Near abroad' by Russians. More recently, Russian leaders have been referring to all 15 countries collectively as "Post-Soviet Space," while asserting Russian foreign policy interest throughout the region.^[2] There remain large Russian minority populations in many countries of the near abroad, an issue that has been dealt with in various ways by each individual country. They have posed a particular problem in countries where they live close to the Russian border, such as in Ukraine and Kazakhstan, with some of these Russians calling for these areas to be absorbed into Russia. By and large, however, Russians in the near-abroad do not favor active intervention of Russia into the domestic affairs of neighboring countries, even in defense of the interests of ethnic Russians.^[3] Moreover, the three Baltic states (Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania) have clearly signaled their desire to be outside any claimed Russian sphere of influence, as is reflected by their joining both the NATO alliance and the European Union in 2004.

Close cultural, ethnic and historical links exist between Russia, Belarus and Ukraine. Traditionally, at least from a Russian perspective, they have been treated as one ethnic group, with Russians called 'Great Russians', Belarusians 'White Russians' and Ukrainians 'Little Russians'. This manifested itself in lower levels of nationalism in these areas, particularly Belarus and Ukraine, during the disintegration of the Soviet Union. However, few Ukrainians accept a "younger brother" status relative to Russia^{[citation needed]}, and Russia's efforts to insert itself into Ukrainian domestic politics, such as Putin's endorsement of a candidate for the Ukrainian presidency in the last election, are contentious.

Russia maintains its military bases in Armenia, Tajikistan, Georgia, Moldova and Kyrgyzstan.

[edit] Mediation in foreign international conflicts

Russia has played an important role in helping mediate international conflicts and has been particularly actively engaged in trying to promote a peace following the Kosovo conflict. Russia's foreign minister claimed on February 25, 2008 that NATO and the European Union have been considering using force to keep Serbs from leaving Kosovo following the 2008 Kosovo declaration of independence.^[4]

Russia is a co-sponsor of the Middle East peace process and supports UN and multilateral initiatives in the Persian Gulf, Cambodia, Myanmar (Burma), Angola, the former Yugoslavia, and Haiti. Russia is a founding member of the Contact Group and (since the Denver Summit in June 1997) a member of the G8. In November 1998, Russia joined the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum (APEC). Russia has contributed troops to the NATO-led stabilization force in Bosnia and has affirmed its respect for international law and OSCE principles. Russia has accepted UN and/or OSCE involvement in instances of regional conflict in neighboring countries, including the dispatch of observers to Georgia, Moldova, Tajikistan, and Nagorno-Karabakh.

Russia supported, on May 16, 2007, the set up of the international tribunal to try the suspects in the murder of the Lebanese Prime Minister, Rafiq Hariri. [2]

[edit] Territorial disputes

Main article: Territorial disputes of the Russian Federation

Russian foreign relations were and continue to be plagued by a number of territorial disputes with the neighbouring nations, including China, Japan, Norway and other counties. Because of unresolved disputes with Japan over the Southern Kurils, Russia is still technically at war with Japan following the 1945 Soviet invasion of Manchuria.^[5]

In August 2007, the Arktika 2007 expedition in Arctic waters culminated in the planting of a Russian flag on the ocean floor at the North Pole. Many countries claim that the Arctic is their territory, including the United States, Denmark and Canada. The region is believed to hold vast quantities of oil underneath the seabed.

[edit] Illicit drugs

Limited cultivation of illicit cannabis and opium poppy and producer of amphetamines, mostly for domestic consumption; government has active eradication program; increasingly used as transshipment point for Southwest and Southeast Asian opiates and cannabis and Latin American cocaine to Western Europe, possibly to the United States, and growing domestic market; major source of heroin precursor chemicals.

[edit] Participation in international organizations

APEC, BIS, BSEC, CBSS, CE, CERN (observer), CIS, CSTO, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, ESCAP, G8, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, LAIA (observer), MINURSO, MONUC, NAM (guest), NSG, OAS (observer), OIC (observer), OPCW,OPEC,OSCE, PCA, PFP, SCO, UN, UN Security Council, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNITAR, UNMIBH, UNMEE, UNMIK, UNMOP, UNOMIG, UNTAET, UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, EFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (applicant), Zangger Committee

[edit] Foreign policy under Putin's presidency

Vladimir Putin's presidency lasted from January 2000 until May 2008. In international affairs, Putin was publicly increasingly critical of the foreign policies of the United States and other Western countries. In February 2007, at the annual Munich Conference on Security Policy, he criticised what he called the United States' monopolistic dominance in global relations, and pointed out that the United States displayed an "almost uncontained hyper use of force in international relations". He said the result of it is that "no one feels safe! Because no one can feel that international law is like a stone wall that will protect them. Of course such a policy stimulates an arms race."^[6] Some commentators have linked this increase in hostility towards the West with the global rise in oil prices. ^[7]

Putin called for a "fair and democratic world order that would ensure security and prosperity not only for a select few, but for all"^{[citation needed]}. He proposed certain initiatives such as establishing international centres for the enrichment of uranium and prevention of deploying weapons in outer space.^[6] In a January 2007 interview Putin said Russia is in favour of a democratic multipolar world and of strengthening the system of international law.^[8]

While Putin is often characterised as an autocrat by the Western media and some politicians^[9]^[10], his relationship with US President George W. Bush, Brazilian President Luis Inacio Lula da Silva, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder, former French President Jacques Chirac, and Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi are reported to be personally friendly. Putin's relationship with Germany's new Chancellor, Angela Merkel, is reported to be "cooler" and "more business-like" than his partnership with Gerhard Schröder.^[11]

In the wake of the September 11 attacks on the United States, he agreed to the establishment of coalition military bases in Central Asia before and during the US-led invasion of Afghanistan. Russian nationalists objected to the establishment of any US military presence on the territory of the former Soviet Union, and had expected Putin to keep the US out of the Central Asian republics, or at the very least extract a commitment from Washington to withdraw from these bases as soon as the immediate military necessity had passed.

During the Iraq disarmament crisis 2002-2003, Putin opposed Washington's move to invade Iraq without the benefit of a United Nations Security Council resolution explicitly authorizing the use of military force. After the official end of the war was announced, American president George W. Bush asked the United Nations to lift sanctions on Iraq. Putin supported lifting of the sanctions in due course, arguing that the UN commission first be given a chance to complete its work on the search for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.^{[citation needed]}

In 2005, Putin and former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder negotiated the construction of a major gas pipeline over the Baltic exclusively between Russia and Germany. Schröder also attended Putin's 53rd birthday in Saint Petersburg the same year.

The CIS, seen in Moscow as its traditional sphere of influence, became one of the foreign policy priorities under Putin, as the EU and NATO have grown to encompass much of Central Europe and, more recently, the Baltic states.

During the 2004 Ukrainian presidential election, Putin twice visited Ukraine before the election to show his support for Ukrainian Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych, who was widely seen as a pro-Kremlin candidate, and he congratulated him on his anticipated victory before the official election returns had been in. Putin's personal support for Yanukovych was criticized as unwarranted interference in the affairs of a sovereign state (See also The Orange revolution). Crises also developed in Russia's relations with Georgia and Moldova, both former Soviet republics accusing Moscow of supporting separatist entities in their territories. Moscow's policies under Putin towards these states are viewed by politicians in the West as "efforts to bully democratic neighbors".^[12]

Russia's relations with the Baltic states also remain tense. In 2007, Russo-Estonian relations deteriorated further as a result of the Bronze Soldier controversy.^[13]

Putin took an active personal part in promoting the Act of Canonical Communion with the Moscow Patriarchate signed 17 May 2007 that restored relations between the Moscow-based Russian Orthodox Church and Russian Orthodox Church outside Russia after the 80-year schism ^[14].

In his annual address to the Federal Assembly on April 26, 2007, Putin announced plans to declare a moratorium on the observance of the CFE Treaty by Russia until all NATO members ratified it and started observing its provisions, as Russia had been doing on a unilateral basis.^[15] Putin argues that as new NATO members have not even signed the treaty so far, an imbalance in the presence of NATO and Russian armed forces in Europe creates a real threat and an unpredictable situation for Russia.^[15] NATO members said they would refuse to ratify the treaty until Russia complied with its 1999 commitments made in Istanbul whereby Russia should remove troops and military equipment from Moldova and Georgia. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov was quoted as saying in response that "Russia has long since fulfilled all its Istanbul obligations relevant to CFE".^[16] Russia has suspended its participation in the CFE as of midnight Moscow time on December 11, 2007.^[17]^[18] On December 12, 2007, the United States officially said it "deeply regretted the Russian Federation's decision to 'suspend' implementation of its obligations under the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE)." State Department spokesman Sean McCormack, in a written statement, added that "Russia's conventional forces are the largest on the European continent, and its unilateral action damages this successful arms control regime."^[19] NATO's primary concern arising from Russia's suspension is that Moscow could now accelerate its military presence in the Northern Caucasus.^[20]

The months following Putin's Munich speech^[6] were marked by tension and a surge in rhetorics on both sides of the Atlantic. So, Vladimir Putin said at the anniversary of the Victory Day, "these threats are not becoming fewer but are only transforming and changing their appearance. These new threats, just as under the Third Reich, show the same contempt for human life and the same aspiration to establish an exclusive dictate over the world."^[21] This was interpreted by some Russian and Western commentators as comparing the U.S. to Nazi Germany. On the eve of the 33rd Summit of the G8 in Heiligendamm, American journalist Anne Applebaum, who is married to a Polish politician, wrote that "Whether by waging cyberwarfare on Estonia, threatening the gas supplies of Lithuania, or boycotting Georgian wine and Polish meat, he [Putin] has, over the past few years, made it clear that he intends to reassert Russian influence in the former communist states of Europe, whether those states want Russian influence or not. At the same time, he has also made it clear that he no longer sees Western nations as mere benign trading partners, but rather as Cold War-style threats."^[22]

British historian Max Hastings described Putin as "Stalin's spiritual heir" in his article "Will we have to fight Russia in this Century?".^[23] British academic Norman Stone in his article "No wonder they like Putin" compared Putin to General Charles de Gaulle. ^[24] Adi Ignatius argues that "Putin... is not a Stalin. There are no mass purges in Russia today, no broad climate of terror. But Putin is reconstituting a strong state, and anyone who stands in his way will pay for it."^[25] In the same article, Hastings continues that although "a return to the direct military confrontation of the Cold War is unlikely", "the notion of Western friendship with Russia is a dead letter"^[23] Both Russian and American officials always denied the idea of a new Cold War. So, the US defence secretary Robert Gates said yet on the Munich Conference: "We all face many common problems and challenges that must be addressed in partnership with other countries, including Russia. ... One Cold War was quite enough."^[26] Vladimir Putin said prior to 33rd G8 Summit, on June 4: "we do not want confrontation; we want to engage in dialogue. However, we want a dialogue that acknowledges the equality of both parties’ interests." ^[27]

Putin publicly opposed to a U.S. missile shield in Europe, presented President George W. Bush with a counterproposal on June 7, 2007 of sharing the use of the Soviet-era radar system in Azerbaijan rather than building a new system in Poland and the Czech Republic. Putin expressed readiness to modernize the Gabala radar station, which has been in operation since 1986. Putin proposed it would not be necessary to place interceptor missiles in Poland then, but interceptors could be placed in NATO member Turkey or Iraq. Putin suggested also equal involvement of interested European countries in the project.^[28]

In a June 4, 2007, interview to journalists of G8 countries, when answering the question of whether Russian nuclear forces may be focused on European targets in case "the United States continues building a strategic shield in Poland and the Czech Republic", Putin admitted that "if part of the United States’ nuclear capability is situated in Europe and that our military experts consider that they represent a potential threat then we will have to take appropriate retaliatory steps. What steps? Of course we must have new targets in Europe."^[27]^[29]^[30]

The end of 2006 brought strained relations between Russia and Britain in the wake of the death of a former FSB officer in London by poisoning. On July 20, 2007 UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown expelled "four Russian envoys over Putin's refusal to extradite ex-KGB agent Andrei Lugovoi, wanted in the UK for the murder of fellow former spy Alexander Litvinenko in London."^[31] The Russian constitution prohibits the extradition of Russian nationals to third countries. British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said that "this situation is not unique, and other countries have amended their constitutions, for example to give effect to the European Arrest Warrant".^[32]

Miliband's statement was widely publicized by Russian media as a British proposal to change the Russian constitution.^[33]^[34]^[35] According to VCIOM, 62% of Russians are against changing the Constitution in this respect.^[36] The British Ambassador in Moscow Tony Brenton said that the UK is not asking Russia to break its Constitution, but rather interpret it in such a way that would make Lugovoi's extradition possible.^[37] Putin, in response, advised British officials to "fix their heads" rather than propose changing the Russian constitution^[38]^[35] and said that the British proposals were "a relic of a colonial-era mindset".^[39]

When Litvinenko was dying from radiation poisoning, he allegedly accused Putin of directing the assassination in a statement which was released shortly after his death by his friend Alex Goldfarb.^[40] Critics have doubted that Litvinenko is the true author of the released statement.^[41]^[42] When asked about the Litvinenko accusations, Putin said that a statement released after death of its author "naturally deserves no comment".^[43]

The expulsions were seen as "the biggest rift since the countries expelled each other's diplomats in 1996 after a spying dispute."^[31] In response to the situation, Putin stated "I think we will overcome this mini-crisis. Russian-British relations will develop normally. On both the Russian side and the British side, we are interested in the development of those relations."^[31] Despite this, British Ambassador Tony Brenton was told by the Russian Foreign Ministry that UK diplomats would be given 10 days before they were expelled in response. The Russian government also announced that it would suspend issuing visas to UK officials and froze cooperation on counterterrorism in response to Britain suspending contacts with their Federal Security Service.^[31]

Alexander Shokhin, president of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs warned that British investors in Russia will "face greater scrutiny from tax and regulatory authorities. [And] They could also lose out in government tenders".^[31] Some see the crisis as originating with Britain's decision to grant Putin's former patron, Russian billionaire Boris Berezovsky, political asylum in 2003.^[31] Earlier in 2007, Berezovsky had called for the overthrow of Putin.^[31]

Leaders of the 33rd G8 summit in Heiligendamm, Germany

Presidents Bush and Putin at the 33rd G8 summit, June 2007.

On 10 December, 2007, Russia ordered the British Council to halt work at its regional offices in what was seen as the latest round of a dispute over the murder of Alexander Litvinenko; Britain said Russia's move was illegal.^[44]

SCO and CSTO members

Following the Peace Mission 2007 military exercises jointly conducted by the SCO member states, Putin announced on August 17, 2007 the resumption on a permanent basis of long-distance patrol flights of Russia's strategic bombers that were suspended in 1992.^[45]^[46] US State Department spokesman Sean McCormack was quoted as saying in response that "if Russia feels as though they want to take some of these old aircraft out of mothballs and get them flying again, that's their decision."^[46] The announcement made during the SCO summit in the light of joint Russian-Chinese military exercises, first-ever in history to be held on Russian territory,^[47] makes some believe that Putin is inclined to set up an anti-NATO bloc or the Asian version of OPEC.^[48] When presented with the suggestion that "Western observers are already likening the SCO to a military organisation that would stand in opposition to NATO", Putin answered that "this kind of comparison is inappropriate in both form and substance".^[45] Russian Chief of the General Staff Yury Baluyevsky was quoted as saying that "there should be no talk of creating a military or political alliance or union of any kind, because this would contradict the founding principles of SCO".^[47]

The resumption of long-distance flights of Russia's strategic bombers was followed by the announcement by Russian Defense Minister Anatoliy Serdyukov during his meeting with Putin on December 5, 2007, that 11 ships, including the aircraft carrier Kuznetsov, would take part in the first major navy sortie into the Mediterranean since Soviet times.^[49] The sortie was to be backed up by 47 aircraft, including strategic bombers.^[50] According to Serdyukov, this is an effort to resume regular Russian naval patrols on the world's oceans,^[51] the view that is also supported by Russian media.^[52] The military analyst from Novaya Gazeta Pavel Felgenhauer believes that the accident-prone Kuznetsov is scarcely seaworthy and is more of a menace to her crew than any putative enemy^[53].

In September 2007, Putin visited Indonesia and in doing so became the first Russian leader to visit the country in more than 50 years.^[54] In the same month, Putin also attended the APEC meeting held in Sydney, Australia where he met with Australian Prime Minister John Howard and signed a uranium trade deal. This was the first visit of a Russian president to Australia.

On October 16, 2007 Putin visited Tehran, Iran to participate in the Second Caspian Summit,^[55] where he met with Iranian leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad^[56]. Other participants were leaders of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Turkmenistan.^[57] This is the first visit of a leader from the Kremlin to Iran since Joseph Stalin's participation in the Tehran Conference in 1943.^[58]^[59] At a press conference after the summit Putin said that "all our (Caspian) states have the right to develop their peaceful nuclear programmes without any restrictions".^[60] During the summit it was also agreed that its participants, under no circumstances, would let any third-party state use their territory as a base for aggression or military action against any other participant.^[55]

On October 26, 2007, at a press conference following the 20th Russia-EU Summit in Portugal, Putin proposed to create a Russian-European Institute for Freedom and Democracy headquartered either in Brussels or in one of the European capitals, and added that "we are ready to supply funds for financing it, just as Europe covers the costs of projects in Russia".^[61] This newly proposed institution is expected to monitor human rights violations in Europe and contribute to development of European democracy.^[62]

Robert Kagan, reflecting on what underlay the fundamental rift between Putin's Russia and the EU wrote in February 2008: " Europe's nightmares are the 1930s; Russia's nightmares are the 1990s. Europe sees the answer to its problems in transcending the nation-state and power. For Russians, the solution is in restoring them. So what happens when a 21st-century entity faces the challenge of a 19th-century power? The contours of the conflict are already emerging -- in diplomatic stand-offs over Kosovo, Ukraine, Georgia and Estonia; in conflicts over gas and oil pipelines; in nasty diplomatic exchanges between Russia and Britain; and in a return to Russian military exercises of a kind not seen since the Cold War. Europeans are apprehensive, with good reason."^[63]

Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President George W. Bush failed to resolve their differences over U.S. plans for the planned missile defense system based in Poland and the Czech Republic, on their meeting in the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi on April 6, 2008. Putin made clear that he does not agree with the decision to establish sites in the Eastern European countries, but said they had agreed a "strategic framework" to guide future U.S.-Russian relations, in which Russia and the U.S. said they recognized that the era in which each had considered the other to be a "strategic threat or enemy" was over. Putin expressed cautious optimism that the two sides could find a way to cooperate over missile defense and described his eight-year relationship as Russian president with Bush as "mostly positive". The summit was the final meeting between Bush and Putin as presidents and follows both leaders' attendance at last the NATO summit in Romania April 2, 2008- April 4, 2008. That summit also highlighted differences between Washington and Moscow over U.S.-backed proposals to extend the military alliance to include the former Soviet republics of Ukraine and Georgia. Russia opposes the proposed expansion, fearing it will reduce its own influence over its neighbours.^[64] Fareed Zakaria suggests that the 2008 South Ossetia War turned out to be a diplomatic disaster for Russia. He suggests that it was a major stragetic blunder, turning neighboring nations such as Ukraine to embrace the United States and other Western nations more.^[65] George Friedman, founder and CEO of private intelligence agency Stratfor, takes an opposite view, arguing that both the war and Russian foreign policy have been successful in expanding Russia's influence.^[66]

[edit] Bilateral relations

Country	Formal Relations Began	Notes
Abkhazia	2008	See Abkhazia–Russia relations Russia recognized Abkhazia after the August 2008 war in Georgia. Russia plans on opening up a trade mission in Abkhazia in order to ease access to the local economy for Russian businesses.^[67] Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has signed a decree to set up Russian embassies in Abkhazia and South Ossetia in 2009.^[68] In March 2009, Abkhazian President Sergei Bagapsh told the Vice President of the International Crisis Group that his republic had no plans to become a part of Russia and that his administration was "building an independent, legal, and democratic state."^[69]
Afghanistan		See Afghanistan–Russia relations Relations were contentious when the latter invaded the former in 1979, causing many of Afghanistan's Muslim allies to act fast, Russo-Afghan relations improved in the years following the conflict. Russia has an embassy in Kabul and a consulate-general in Mazar-e-Sharif, and Afghanistan has an embassy in Moscow.
Albania	1924-04-07	See Albania–Russia relations Albania has an embassy in Moscow. Russia has an embassy in Tirana.^[70] Both countries are full members of the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation, Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, Organisation of the Islamic Conference, and the Council of Europe.
Algeria		See Algeria – Russia relations
Algeria		See Algeria–Russia relations
Angola		See Angola–Russia relations
Arab League		See Russia–Arab League relations
Argentina		See Argentina–Russia relations
Armenia		See Armenia–Russia relations
Australia		See Australia–Russia relations
Austria		See Austria–Russia relations
Azerbaijan		See Azerbaijan–Russia relations
Bahamas		See Bahamas-Russia relations
Bahrain		See Bahrain–Russia relations
Bangladesh		See Bangladesh–Russia relations
Belarus		See Belarus–Russia relations
Belgium		See Belgium–Russia relations
Belize		See Belize–Russia relations
Benin		See Benin–Russia relations
Bolivia		See Bolivia–Russia relations
Bosnia and Herzegovina		See Bosnia and Herzegovina – Russia relations
Botswana		See Botswana–Russia relations
Brazil		See Brazil–Russia relations
Brunei		See Brunei–Russia relations
Bulgaria		See Bulgaria–Russia relations
Burkina Faso		See Burkina Faso – Russia relations
Cambodia		See Cambodia–Russia relations
Cameroon		See Cameroon–Russia relations
Canada		See Canada–Russia relations
Chile		See Chile–Russia relations
China		See China–Russia relations
Colombia		See Colombia–Russia relations
Costa Rica		See Costa Rica – Russia relations
Côte d'Ivoire		See Côte d'Ivoire – Russia relations
Croatia		See Croatia–Russia relations
Cuba		See Cuba–Russia relations
Cyprus		See Cyprus–Russia relations
Czech Republic		See Czech Republic – Russia relations
Democratic Republic of the Congo		See Democratic Republic of the Congo–Russia relations
Denmark		See Denmark–Russia relations
Ecuador		See Ecuador–Russia relations
Egypt		See Egypt–Russia relations
Estonia		See Estonia–Russia relations
Ethiopia		See Ethiopia–Russia relations
Finland		See Finland–Russia relations
France		See France–Russia relations
Georgia		See Georgia–Russia relations
Germany		See Germany–Russia relations
Ghana		See Ghana–Russia relations
Greece		See Greece–Russia relations
Grenada		See Grenada–Russia relations
Guatemala		See Guatemala–Russia relations
Guinea-Bissau		See Guinea-Bissau–Russia relations
Holy See		See Holy See – Russia relations
Honduras		See Honduras–Russia relations
Hungary		See Hungary–Russia relations
Iceland		See Iceland–Russia relations
India		See India–Russia relations
Indonesia		See Indonesia–Russia relations
Iran		See Iran–Russia relations
Iraq		See Iraq–Russia relations
Ireland		See Ireland–Russia relations
Israel		See Israel–Russia relations
Italy		See Italy–Russia relations
Japan		See Japan–Russia relations
Jordan		See Jordan–Russia relations
Kazakhstan		See Kazakhstan–Russia relations
Kenya		See Kenya–Russia relations
Kuwait		See Kuwait–Russia relations
Kyrgyzstan		See Kyrgyzstan–Russia relations
Laos		See Laos–Russia relations
Latvia		See Latvia–Russia relations
Lebanon		See Lebanon–Russia relations
Libya		See Libya–Russia relations
Lithuania		See Lithuania–Russia relations
Luxembourg		See Luxembourg–Russia relations
Madagascar		See Madagascar–Russia relations
Malaysia		See Malaysia–Russia relations
Mali		See Mali–Russia relations
Malta		See Malta–Russia relations
Mauritius		See Mauritius–Russia relations
Mexico		See Mexico–Russia relations
Moldova		See Moldova–Russia relations
Monaco		See Monaco–Russia relations
Mongolia		See Mongolia–Russia relations
Montenegro		See Montenegro–Russia relations
Morocco		See Morocco–Russia relations
Mozambique		See Mozambique–Russia relations
Myanmar		See Myanmar–Russia relations
Namibia		See Namibia–Russia relations
Nauru		See Nauru–Russia relations
Nepal		See Nepal–Russia relations
Netherlands		See Netherlands–Russia relations
New Zealand		See New Zealand–Russia relations
Nicaragua		See Nicaragua–Russia relations
Nigeria		See Nigeria–Russia relations
North Korea		See North Korea – Russia relations
Norway		See Norway–Russia relations
Oman		See Oman–Russia relations
Pakistan		See Pakistan–Russia relations
Panama		See Panama–Russia relations
Paraguay		See Paraguay–Russia relations
Peru		See Peru-Russia relations
Peru		See Peru–Russia relations
Philippines		See Philippines-Russia relations
Poland		See Poland–Russia relations
Portugal		See Portugal–Russia relations
Republic of China		See Republic of China – Russia relations
Republic of the Congo		See Republic of the Congo – Russia relations
Romania		See Romania–Russia relations
Saint Lucia		See Russia – Saint Lucia relations
San Marino		See Russia – San Marino relations
Saudi Arabia		See Russia–Saudi Arabia relations
Senegal		See Russia–Senegal relations
Serbia		See Russia–Serbia relations
Seychelles		See Russia–Seychelles relations
Singapore		See Russia–Singapore relations
Slovakia		See Russia–Slovakia relations
Slovenia		See Russia–Slovenia relations
South Africa		See Russia–South Africa relations
South Korea		See Russia – South Korea relations
South Ossetia		See Russia–South Ossetia relations
Spain		See Russia–Spain relations
Sri Lanka		See Russia – Sri Lanka relations
Sudan		See Russia–Sudan relations
Sweden		See Russia–Sweden relations
Switzerland		See Russia–Switzerland relations
Syria		See Russia–Syria relations
Tajikistan		See Russia–Tajikistan relations
Tanzania		See Russia–Tanzania relations
Thailand		See Russia–Thailand relations
Timor-Leste		See Russia – Timor-Leste relations
Tonga		See Russia–Tonga relations
Trinidad and Tobago		See Russia – Trinidad and Tobago relations
Tunisia		See Russia–Tunisia relations
Turkey		See Russian–Turkish relations
Turkmenistan		See Russia–Turkmenistan relations
Uganda		See Russia–Uganda relations
Ukraine		See Russia–Ukraine relations
United Arab Emirates		See Russia – United Arab Emirates relations
United Kingdom		See Russia – United Kingdom relations
United States		See Russia – United States relations
Uruguay		See Russia–Uruguay relations
Uzbekistan		See Russia–Uzbekistan relations
Vanuatu		See Russia–Vanuatu relations
Venezuela		See Russia–Venezuela relations
Vietnam		See Russia–Vietnam relations
Zambia		See Russia–Zambia relations
Zimbabwe	1979-01	Russia-Zimbabwe relations date back to January 1979, during the Rhodesian Bush War. The Soviet Union supported Joshua Nkomo's Zimbabwe African People's Union, and supplied them with arms; Robert Mugabe's attempts to gain Soviet support for his Zimbabwe African National Union were rebuffed, leading him to enter into relations with Soviet rival Beijing. After the end of the white regime in Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe had strengthened his relations with both Beijing and Moscow as a result of intense western pressure on him. The USSR soon established diplomatic relations with Zimbabwe on February 18, 1981 and Russia still maintains an embassy in Harare. Both Russia and China still maintain strong economic and political ties with Zimbabwe and both countries had vetoed the UN resolution imposing UN sanctions on Zimbabwe which was proposed by both the US and the UK on July 12, 2008.