Based on the materials of the round table of the Institute for Global Politics “Russian Authoritarianism as a Threat to Global Security”
“It’s not just about confronting the Kremlin, it’s about ending it. This is the goal and the only possible way, and it is possible only through a collective strategy”
I am here today to talk about real constructive cooperation to end the war in Ukraine and dismantle the Putin regime. Today’s format brings together Russian, British and Ukrainian experts. This mixed format is of great importance, because expert assessment cannot be one-sided, and neither can strategy. For years, the West has been hesitant to act, which is understandable. Europe followed the United States, and the United States followed a policy of non-interference.
However, we can see that after the election of D. Trump as President of the United States, the context has changed dramatically. Europe has almost lost its biggest ally, and we need to rethink our strategy and what we can do. Past attempts to cooperate with Russia have often been political rather than practical, and this divergence, I think, has blocked real cooperation. We have to change that.Russians, who do not accept war, have a lot of information and deep knowledge. The main thing is to put it into practice in cooperation with Ukraine and the West. But there is a problem with how this experience is perceived. People often look for one universal expert, but it doesn’t work that way. There is no silver bullet, as they say, no single voice.
As for the Russian authoritarian regime, it is complex. Therefore, the only way forward is decentralized collective expertise. Each expert puts together a piece of this puzzle. If someone says they know all the answers about Russia, they are probably not an expert on Russia. We need multi-level information, a solid understanding, not superficial hype.
And that’s what it’s all about.
It’s not just about confronting the Kremlin, it’s about ending it. This is the goal and the only possible way, and it is possible only through a collective strategy. The missing link has always been trust, trust between Ukraine, the West, and anti-war Russians. And this trust does not arise automatically, it has to be built. It is built step by step through joint work. We have to start somewhere. All those present here today are proof of this.
This roundtable exists because a certain level of trust has already been established. So let’s do even more. Let’s not waste time on distrust. Let’s work together creatively and move towards goals that once seemed impossible. If we do, even the most daring goals will be within our reach.
Ksenia Maksymova,
Founder of the Russian Democratic Society, U
