Negotiating at cross purposes: conflicts and continuity in the EU’s trade and energy relations with Russia, pre- and post-2014
Journal: Journal of European Public Policy
Year: 2019

This article explores why the European Union (EU)’s promotion of Russia’s market liberalization has failed to generate the desired outcome. It takes as its starting point the Russian annexation of Crimea, and the question of whether the political rupture in 2014 constitutes a watershed in the EU-Russian trade and energy relationship. The sanctions targeting Russia for its actions in Ukraine, and the Russian counter-embargo, constrain the room for manoeuvre of businesses, but have not resulted in