Russian Riddles: The Future of Russia's Relationship with the US, EU and UK with Anton Barbashin

In November 2021, defence analysts began to notice a worrying build-up of Russian troops around Ukraine's borders. In the months that followed, this surge of troops has fuelled concerns that a Russian military invasion of Ukraine could be imminent from mid-February 2022 onwards. As frantic efforts unfolded to engage in negotiations with Russian diplomats and President Vladimir Putin along with moves to strengthen the Ukrainian military, debates have opened up in the US, UK, EU and Ukraine about how a long term pathway of de-escalation with a Russian state elite can be found.

This week, we have been joined by Anton Barbashin to discuss why relations between Russia and the West have deteriorated so badly, and examine how relations between both sides can be improved again. Now completing his PHD at the University of Glasgow, Anton is also the Editorial Director of Riddle Russia, a platform that provides some of the most incisive and thoughtful analysis of Russian politics and Russia's interactions with Europe and the wider world. As an observer and researcher studying Russia's development over the past decade, Anton is ideally placed to explore how Russia and the West have spiralled into the current moment of tension, and whether there might be a way out of it.

The background music is by Through the City by Crowander, and the production for this podcast was by Daniel Mansfield.