RUSSIA-EU: FROM DISTRUST TO CONFIDENCE

Confidence-building is one of the main conditions of Russia-EU relations normalization. For better understanding of the ways of confidence strengthening: the concept of confidence in the context of national and foreign policy of the states; legal basis of strategic partnership between Russia and EU (the EU-Russia Partnership and Cooperation Agreement of 1994); the contemporary state of Russia-EU relations; the reasons of Russia-EU relations deterioration; the available doubts of a possibility of strategic partnership between Russia and the EU are analyzed in the article. The EU sanctions policy against Russia and Russia countersanctions, other factors undermining mutual trust between Russia and the EU are considered in connection with the situation in Ukraine. At the same time, despite low level of credibility, the need of continuation of dialogue between Russia and the EU for confidence strengthening is mutually noted. Other important issues of the problem such as the basic principles of further development of Russia-EU relations, probable models of Russia-EU interaction are also considered in the article. Formation or restoration of confidence is a long-term process, which demands a fundamental basis. The Russia-EU relations are passing through a difficult phase, but exchange of knowledge and experts' opinions are very important components of predictability formation and confidence restoration. Working on the scientific research the author used a list of methodological issues including the method of structural analysis, the method of historical associations, the method of political analysis and the method of political forecasting.