International economic policy

Abstract

The international economic policy of Russia over the last 15 years has been inconsistent and unpredictable. The country’s prolonged accession process into the World Trade Organization (WTO) first saw Moscow assume tough negotiating positions, followed by near-total official disinterest in the WTO after accession. Russia has also actively pushed for regional integration across the former Soviet space, including a full-fledged economic union for several post-Soviet states—a project that has required Moscow to overcome the distrust and apathy of these same post-Soviet states. At the same time, Russia has plainly disregarded many of its obligations vis-à-vis its trading partners in the context of the counter-sanctions regime it created in 2014 when the Ukraine crisis began.