Every Wednesday starting today, Rossiiskaya Gazeta will feature the opinions of the Director of the Centre for Current Politics, Alexei Chesnakov, on the key events and problems of the week.
Gas
After the signing of the long-awaited protocol on independent monitoring of Russian gas supplies to Europe and the subsequent resumption of these supplies, several conclusions have prompted themselves. First, the Russian Government has been firm in its negotiations with Ukraine, which is good because one should protect one's country's interests by any means, even if they are not very pleasant. Second, the firm stand was taken too late, which is bad news. The gas transportation conflict with Ukraine had long been brewing and we should have demonstrated our unambiguous stance to our European partners as early as November. The Europeans like to plan everything in advance, and we would do well to behave in a similar way, rather than waiting for a thunderclap. If the Ukrainians failed to pay for the gas we should have promptly made a statement that they were intent on stealing gas and sent that statement to the EU Commission. We should be tough on unfriendly, failing, or roguish regimes. The opinion of the electorate should be the law for the Government. It is for the sake of the electorate that the authorities exist.
Medvedev and sport
The President's new video blog recorded at Krasnaya Polyana in Sochi was in my opinion a reproach to all those who instead of genuinely contributing to the development of sport, prefer various social events on the fringes of sport. Some sport officials and functionaries, who again were carousing on New Year's Eve in Courchevel, France, and were not in Russia, would benefit from looking at the blog. Perhaps it is time to stop irritating the public by travelling to the Alps and instead do something to improve the infrastructure of the Caucasus. Or is it the case that some officials want Medvedev and Putin to shoulder all the responsibility for the facilities in Sochi?
Putin in Germany
Vladimir Putin's visit to Germany on January 16-17 and his talks with Angela Merkel will be one of the highlights of the week. Germany is Russia's leading European partner and our bilateral relations go a long way in determining the success of the dialogue between Russia and Europe in general. So far the Chancellor has been overshadowed by her European colleagues in terms of charisma and has been less convincing on energy matters; moreover, she has gradually been losing opportunities for Germany to launch European initiatives. In addition, there is also an internal German aspect to the visit - Germany will hold parliamentary elections in September. The Chancellor has little room to maneuver and little chance to retain her party's leadership in the "grand coalition". If the talks with Vladimir Putin are successful, it would be a boost to her image and a demonstration of her political potential at the start of a difficult election campaign.
The Old New Year
Our people will finally stop gorging on Russian salad and watching New Year's TV shows. Tomorrow is back-to-work day. In the meantime, there is still a chance for looking back on the past year.
Alexei Chesnakov, Director of the Centre for Current Politics
National Issue
Alexei Chesnakov