”Russian Pivot to the East” in 2014-2015. Russian-Chinese Relationships

Russian Federation is the largest country on Earth and one of few states that are at the crossroads of Western and Eastern civilizations. For this reason, the choice of direction of international politics was crucial for the development of the international activity of the country. However, after the collapse of the USSR in 1991, Russia had to restore the lost interstate relations, and initially the choice was made for the West. However, over the past 25 years, the international geopolitical situation has repeatedly undergone significant changes. In connection with the recent events in Ukraine and the imposition of sanctions, the diplomatic relations between Russia and the West considerably cooled, and therefore at this stage the choice was made for China and other Asian countries. This pivot was called "the turn to the East." With similar and mutual interests in the international political arena, Moscow and Beijing have attempted to establish and strengthen collaborative economic and political relations. At the moment, the Chinese People's Republic is one of the largest partners of the Russian Federation. Since the cooling of relations with the United States and the European Union have inevitably prompted Moscow to strengthen ties with China and Asia, the development of the Eastern direction is Russia's top priority in international relations, and the future of the country depends on the success in this area. This study is an attempt to assess the phenomenon of "Russia's turn to the East", to determine the nature of relations between China and Russia at the present stage, as well as to identify possible prospects for the development of contacts. During the research, the author assesses the nature of the relations between China and Russia up to 2014, reveals the causes and conditions turn to the East, traces the development of relations between China and Russia in 2014-2015, ss well as considers the problems of two-sided contacts and ways of their development.