From Syria, North Korea, Iran to Afghanistan delicate diplomacy between Russia and the West has been crucial in responding to these challenges. To what extent has Moscow's behaviour been influenced by Putin's return and how different will it be with Putin firmly at the helm for the year ahead? Will Putin continue a trend towards intransigence in the aftershocks of the Arab Spring? Does Russia have a potential partner in China not just in the Middle East but also globally? And to what extent will Putin dedicate his new term to realising his dream of a "Eurasian Union" in the ex-USSR? 

Fyodor Lukyanov is Editor-in-Chief of Russia in Global Affairs, one of Russia’s most authoritative journals on Russian foreign policy. He is a member of the Presidium at the Council on Foreign and Defense Policy. He is also a member of the Presidential Council on Human Rights and Civic Society Institutions.

Nicu Popescu is senior policy fellow in the ECFR’s wider Europe team. In 2010-2011 Nicu served as advisor on foreign policy and European integration to the Prime-Minister of Moldova. He previously worked as a research fellow at the Centre for European Policy Studies and visiting fellow at the EU Institute for Security Studies in Paris. Nicu runs a blog on the EU's neighbourhood and Russia for the EU Observer(in English). He is the co-author of the report ‘Dealing with a Post-BRIC Russia’(2011).