Vladimir Putin, Kazakhstan Pres. Nursultan Nazarbayev, and Belarus Pres. Alexander Lukashenko after signing Treaty on Eurasian Economic Union, photo via Office of President of RussiaBESA Center Perspectives Paper No. 732, February 5, 2018
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: When the Eurasian Economic Union (aka the Eurasian Union) was unveiled in early 2015, it had one major goal: to strengthen Moscow’s position across the former Soviet space. By promising economic benefits and military protection, the Kremlin managed to bring Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan into the Union and solidify its influence over them. However, the Eurasian Union has stalled since then. It lags considerably …read more