Authors

Nivedita Kapoor¹;  ¹ Personal capacity, Russian Federation

Discussion

For Russia, the region of Northeast Asia (NEA) has been considered important for reasons ranging from security to economic development to the country’s overall positioning in the international system. The existence of a number of disputes between regional stakeholders in a proximate region also increases its importance in Moscow’s calculations, with any instability considered a net negative. Overall, in the post-Soviet period, Russia has occupied a weaker position and has recognized the need to build a balanced relationship with regional states to strengthen its capacities. However, its pivot to the East has remained weak, and in light of the breakdown of relations with the West, Russia’s ability to strike a balanced engagement with stakeholders in NEA has taken a significant hit. In addition, the region itself is becoming increasingly unstable as the regional order evolves. With the assertive rise of China and the response of other states complicating the overall strategic situation, and the Sino-US rivalry heating up, how does the Russian position evolve? The article will seek to examine Russian national capacities in the NEA at present, understand the impact of invasion of Ukraine on its power projection in the east, examine its role in regional issues (non-proliferation, energy, environment etc.) and look at the increasingly asymmetric Russia-China relationship to critically dissect its impact on the future of Moscow’s position in NEA security.