The European security treaty: ‘The Moor has done his duty, let him go’?

The idea of a legally binding European Security Treaty (EST), voiced by Dmitry MedvedevEuropa in June 2008 in Berlin during his first European visit as the President of Russia, stirred up a keen interest. He left the West wondering whether he was signalising a change of Putin’s foreign policy course. Naturally, there was certain continuity as the new Russian President also emphasised Moscow’s well known security concerns and complaints about the West: for example, when he stood for the indivisibility of European security as opposed to a bloc approach. Nevertheless, Medvedev has visibly shifted the accents, showing Moscow’s desire and readiness to scale down the degree of contention between Russia and the West, and to look for a cooperative perspective. Moreover, the Kremlin – maybe for the first time over the last years – has outlined a proactive approach and proposed a positive agenda to the West, instead of the previous futile, sharp criticism and of keeping itself in strong opposition to any initiatives.