Taking Stock Without Euphemisms: Experts Propose Solutions for Russia’s Foreign and Defence Policy
The recent 34th Assembly of the Council on Foreign and Defence Policy (SVOP) presented analytical approaches to emerging global challenges and developed practical recommendations in the context of a transforming world order. Experts from HSE University took an active part in the sessions and closed briefings.
The Council on Foreign and Defence Policy (SVOP) is a non-governmental public organisation founded in 1992. Its members include politicians, experts, business leaders, public figures, and government officials. The organisation’s mission is to contribute to the development and implementation of strategic concepts for Russia’s development, as well as its foreign and defence policy. The Chair of the SVOP Presidium is Fyodor Lukyanov, Research Professor at HSE University’s Faculty of World Economy and International Affairs. Sergey Karaganov, Academic Supervisor of the faculty, serves as Honorary Chair of the Presidium and is one of the founders of SVOP.
The 34th SVOP Assembly, titled ‘A Time for Decisions: Russia in an Irreversibly Changed World’ and held at the end of May, focused on discussing the key challenges facing Russia amid the transformation of the global system.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who took part in the assembly, noted that the ideas generated within the Council on Foreign and Defence Policy ‘have never gone unnoticed and would either serve as a foundation for major initiatives or advised against certain actions.’
‘The primary task for our diplomacy consists in doing everything we can to create the necessary conditions for ensuring that the actions by our troops as part of the special military operation are effective, victorious, and yield tangible results,’ the minister stressed. ‘I think that this council brings together people with so much experience and who can contribute to achieving this objective.’
Sergey Lavrov held a closed briefing with SVOP members. The discussion included Fyodor Lukyanov and Anastasia Likhacheva, Dean of the Faculty of World Economy and International Affairs. The closed format allowed participants to focus on the practical aspects of foreign policy, ranging from the transformation of diplomatic instruments to the constraints they face in a period of heightened international turbulence.
During the discussion ‘The Culture of Prohibitions and the Boundaries of Loyalty,’ experts, including Timofey Bordachev, Professor and Academic Supervisor of the HSE Centre for Comprehensive European and International Studies (CCEIS), examined the challenge of balancing necessary national security measures against the risk that excessive restrictions could slow social development. Participants agreed that establishing clear criteria for restrictions while preserving space for professional expert debate is a critically important task.
The issue of the state’s long-term resilience was further explored during the session ‘The Will for Peace or the Will to Victory?’ Dmitry Trenin, Professor and Academic Supervisor of the HSE Institute of World Military Economy and Strategy, and Vasily Kashin, Director of the HSE Centre for Comprehensive European and International Studies, presented their assessments of the changing nature of contemporary conflicts and the factors underpinning the resilience of state institutions. Their presentations focused primarily on the need to integrate defence strategies with socio-economic forecasting.
At the session ‘Keeping Pace with the World: International Dynamics and Russian Inertia,’ a keynote address was delivered by Andrey Bezrukov, Professor at MGIMO University, followed by a discussion on Russia’s readiness to meet new challenges. Timofey Bordachev and Vasily Kashin offered their views on adapting foreign-policy and economic instruments to the conditions of a prolonged period of global confrontation.
The assembly encouraged the involvement of early-career researchers in the expert dialogue. At the concluding session, they presented their vision of the future, addressing topics ranging from strategic culture to Russia’s role in the emerging multipolar system. Their participation is of great importance, emphasised Anastasia Likhacheva, Dean of HSE University’s Faculty of World Economy and International Affairs.
‘It is particularly valuable that students and early-career researchers are taking part in these discussions. For them, the foreign minister’s closed briefing and presentations by leading economists and political scientists provide a unique opportunity to connect academic theory with real-world political practice. This format has particular value because it combines high-level expert debate with an educational mission,’ she noted.
According to Anastasia Likhacheva, the assembly was conducted at an exceptionally high level, both in terms of representation and intellectual substance. ‘It is a rare platform where the most significant issues on the Russian and international agenda are discussed openly and professionally. I hope that next year, which marks the council’s 35th anniversary, will open up new opportunities for joint projects,’ she added.
The annual SVOP meetings remain among the most intellectually substantial events of their kind, believes Victoria Panova, Head of the BRICS Expert Council–Russia at HSE University.
Victoria Panova
‘This is a genuine constellation of outstanding minds brought together by the council’s Honorary Chair, Sergey Karaganov. The 34th Assembly was no exception: we discussed the challenges facing Russia amid the global redistribution of power. The most important feature of these meetings is their openness to a wide spectrum of views, often diametrically opposed. This applies both to Sergey Lavrov’s closed briefing, where assessments of the situation are presented without euphemisms, and to discussions of the dilemma between freedom and security. For me as a researcher, the key issues were how to ensure national security without weakening ourselves through excessive restrictions, and the question of a shared vision of the future. Every issue raised here is truly a million-dollar question,’ Victoria Panova said.
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