Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev equated the Russia-West relationship to "a new Cold War" at the Munich Security Conference Saturday. "NATO's attitude toward Russia remains unfriendly and opaque, and one could go so far as to say we have slid back to a new Cold War," he said on the conference, adding that "Sometimes I wonder if it is the year 2016 or 1962."
Almost every day, Russia is referred to as the most terrible threat to NATO as a whole or to Europe, the US and other countries. The West has its strategic considerations to hype up the Russia threat.
First of all, since the collapse of the Soviet Union, the NATO, as an organization to counter the Warsaw Treaty Organization, has long been looking for a reason to exist. The Russia threat, under this situation, serves as an excuse for the NATO to justify its existence and expansion.
The missile defense system is also a significant reason for the US to exaggerate Moscow's threat. The historical nuclear deal with Iran seems to have eliminated the necessity for the US to deploy its missile defense system in Eastern Europe. By hyping up Russia's threat, the White House is finding excuses for the existence of its defense system in the region.
In addition, some European countries, especially those once occupied by Soviet forces, such as Poland and the Baltic states, are always concerned about Russia's influence. To reinforce their sense of security, these nations expect a strengthened NATO military presence in Eastern Europe. By exaggerating Moscow's threat, they are seeking NATO protection.
Nonetheless, a new Cold War is not approaching. In fact, by warning the international community of a new Cold War, Medvedev, in large part, is attempting to ease Russia's relations with Western countries.
Moscow has been witnessing diplomatic difficulties with the US and Europe since the Ukrainian crisis. Facing diplomatic isolation and economic difficulties, the Kremlin is striving to pull itself out of the current predicament. The ultimate purpose of Medvedev's comments is to appeal for Russia-West cooperation by warning of the consequences of confrontation.
A new Cold War is also not in the desire of the West.
To begin with, US President Barack Obama is just a few months away from completing his term of office, and thus is unlikely to take significant actions against Russia. In addition, pressured by the Islamic State, the White House may have to cooperate with the Kremlin over the Syrian crisis. Although the development of the Russia-US relationship may not see an upward trend in the near future, it will not deteriorate either.
Russia-Europe tensions, on the other hand, may be eased. Badly battered by the debt crisis, the influx of refugees and terrorism attacks, Europe intends to cooperate with the Kremlin over these thorny issues.
Moscow is striving to extricate itself from the negative effects of the Western sanctions and the oil price slump as well. While the sanctions have dragged Russia into an economic recession, they have done no good to Europe.
Besides, Russia and Europe have witnessed progress in the implementation of the Minsk agreement. Although a complete ceasefire has not been realized so far, the confrontation over the Ukrainian crisis is less intense than before.
Despite the mounting criticism against Russia, some European countries, for instance, Germany, France and Italy, have close trade connections with Russia. These nations may be considering enhancing cooperation and softening their stances against Moscow. However, given the anti-Russian sentiments in some Eastern European countries, a unified Russia stance is hard to be achieved within the EU at the current stage.
Confrontation and cooperation are likely to coexist for a long time in the Russia-West relationship. It takes time for Western countries to lift sanctions and soften their stance against Russia. Yet the overall trend is an easing relationship.
The author is deputy director of the Institute of Russian Studies at China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn