February 18, 2007

Abstract: (Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Adults in Russia have a clear idea of the way their country's foreign policy should be implemented, according to a poll by the All-Russian Public Opinion Research Center. 37 per cent of respondents want their government to solve existing questions with former Soviet republics through regular diplomatic channels.

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Adults in Russia have a clear idea of the way their country's foreign policy should be implemented, according to a poll by the All-Russian Public Opinion Research Center. 37 per cent of respondents want their government to solve existing questions with former Soviet republics through regular diplomatic channels.

Conversely, 28 per cent of respondents would exert economic pressure, 14 per cent suggest introducing political sanctions, and eight per cent would protect Russia's interests by any means, including war.

Vladimir Putin was elected to a second term as Russia's president in March 2004 with 71.31 per cent of all cast ballots. In April 2005, Putin ruled out seeking a new mandate, saying, "I will not change the constitution and in line with the constitution, you cannot run for president three times in a row."

In late December 2005 and early January 2006, Ukraine was involved in a dispute over gas imports from Russia. The state-run Russian company Gazprom supplies a quarter of Ukraine's gas.

In September 2006, Georgia arrested four Russian officials on charges of espionage. Russian defence minister Sergei Ivanov said Georgia was "a bandit state" and accused the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) of arming the country to enact a "military solution" to its secessionist conflicts.

In late 2006, Russia announced it would double the price it charges Belarus for natural gas. When the administration of Belarusian president Aleksandr Lukashenko imposed a "transit fee" on Russian crude bound for Europe, Russia opted to suspend all oil supplies to Belarus.

Polling Data

Several former Soviet republics have behaved in an unfriendly manner towards Russia, In your view, which would be the desired course of action?

Solve existing questions through regular diplomatic channels	37%
Exert economic pressure on topics such as energy, gas and oil	28%
Introduce political sanctions such as visa restrictions	14%
Protect Russia's interests by any means, including war	8%
Do nothing	3%
Hard to answer	10%

Source: All-Russian Public Opinion Research Center
Methodology: Interviews with 1,600 Russian adults, conducted on Feb. 10 and Feb. 11, 2007. Margin of error is 3.4 per cent.