The Political Objectives of Using Energy in Russia's Foreign Policy

Abstract

Energy diplomacy is a growing field of diplomatic activity aimed at securing energy security. Due to its increasing impact on national security and the economy, energy has become an integral part of diplomacy and foreign policy, thereby strengthening both. This issue has led Russia, given its strategic position, to utilize energy as a diplomatic tool. This article seeks to examine the political objectives of energy use in Russia's foreign policy, which, after expanding the conceptual framework of the research topic, will explore energy diplomacy. According to the relevant documentation presented in this study, the research method is descriptive-analytical, and the data collection method is library-based. The article raises the following question: What are the primary political objectives of Russia’s energy diplomacy in advancing the country’s national interests at the global level? The proposed hypothesis is that "Russia has sought to strengthen its global position by using mechanisms such as adopting uncompromising positions in energy negotiations, creating and exploiting areas of conflict with partners, extracting political concessions from energy exports, and dominating energy transmission networks." The conclusion of the article suggests that after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the use of energy resources to achieve foreign policy objectives had the greatest impact in the post-Soviet space, with Russia aiming to influence the domestic and foreign policies of energy-consuming countries through the use of energy as a tool.