Adrian Severin (NI), in writing. – In the last decade of the twentieth century the West failed to push back Russia from containing its imperial ambitions. In the first decade of the twenty-first century the West failed to establish a partnership for integrating Russia within the European system of security, stability, freedom and prosperity. In the second decade of the twenty-first century the West finds itself in front of an assertive Russia which is no longer the old enemy and not quite its ally, but which is in a contest of interests with it. The problem is that the EU is unable to define a common position concerning its geo-strategic interests. Therefore it prefers to engage in a deadened way of exporting values by transforming the adoption of its standards beyond the need for interoperability into the conditionality for the progress of political cooperation. Russia could not be forced to accept such a deal and the EU has no strength to impose it. The only way to reset the EU-Russia relations is by transferring the negotiations to the rational field of interests where the EU can promote a strategy of joint projects aimed at achieving a balanced multipolar global order and a secure common neighbourhood.