But at the latest of the semi-annual EU-Russia summits in Samara last week, it became clear that the host country was no longer the kind of partner the EU had wished for. Despite the efforts of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, current holder of the EU's six-month rotating presidency, to save the summit and ensure that Russia remained a strategic partner of the EU, it was apparent that somehow the EU's mood had changed. Much worse, Russia was more aggressive. Apparently, it is not in the mood for reconciliation either.

With the global oil price at the current level of about US$65 (Bt2,250) a barrel, Russia earns billions of dollar every day. So it does not have to care about other countries' opinions. No country can really challenge Russia as of one the world's largest energy-surplus countries. Russian President Vladimir Putin knows this and he has made clear that he will not yield when it comes to what it sees as tantamount to foreign meddling in neighbouring countries that were once members of the Soviet Union. Breakaway countries such as Latvia, Estonia and former allies such as Poland and the Czech Republic that are now members of the EU have proved to be quite troublesome for Russia. They have formed a formidable coalition against Russia, which explains in part why EU-Russia relations have not been all that good of late. Moscow continues to exercise its clout over these countries whenever it can, especially when it comes to energy supply and, of course, anything that it views as insulting, such as Estonia's recent removal of a Russian World War II monument to Red Army soldiers.

Moreover, the EU and Russia are still at loggerheads over the future of Kosovo. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that the future of Kosovo depends on the people of Serbia. Russia blocked a UN Security Council resolution recently that would have recognised Kosovo as a de facto state independent from Serbia. Moscow also objected to the US plan to set up anti-missile defences in Poland and the Czech Republic. Both countries were willing to be involved in the US anti-missile defence plan because it would offer a high level of protection without costing them much money. Russia views the anti-missile shield as a threat to its security despite the US stressing that the shield is intended primarily as protection from threats from Middle East countries such as Iran, which could possibly develop nuclear-weapons capability.

What can be done to improve one of the world's most important bilateral relations? First of all, Russia must learn that it cannot adopt hard-line policies towards countries dependent on its energy supplies. Several countries in Europe have already suffered from this gung-ho policy. Russia also needs to be friendlier towards its European neighbours, especially Poland, which has become one of the leading and most popular EU members. Poland's relations with Russia are not good and this will impact on broader ties with the rest of the EU. This is an issue that Putin must deal with, but he appears to be not in the mood.

A further deterioration of EU-Russia relations would not be good for global peace and stability. An aggravated level of hostility will resonate in other parts of the world. Russia meanwhile is trying to make inroads in other parts of the world where it can build up influence. One of the countries with which Russia is diligently cultivating ties is Burma. It remains to be seen how Moscow will handle this diplomatic outreach to Thailand's northern neighbour.