Russia's turn to the East: achievements, problems and prospects

The article presents conclusions from the analysis of the formation and development of the concept of "turning to the East" in Russian foreign policy. The risks associated with the reorientation of Russian policy to the East in the context of the geopolitical situation in the period from 2022 to 2024 are investigated. Among them, there is a lack of experience of Russia's participation in the processes of regionalization of East Asia, a wary attitude on the part of a number of countries in the region due to their perception of Russia as a non-Asian country, as well as the presence of West-centrist thinking in the Russian political elite and a bias in Russian policy towards China in both the economic and political and diplomatic spheres. The purpose of the study was to study the real dynamics of relations between Russia and the countries of the Asia-Pacific region after the start of a special military operation and to reveal the main prospects and threats of such cooperation for Russia.  The research methodology is based on a systematic analysis of the subject area using the methods of political science, economic theory, documentation and source studies. The author has studied the changes in Russia's national security strategy, identified the problems existing in this area, and made assumptions about the prospects of Russian policy in the eastern direction. It is shown that the main purpose of changing the course of the "turn to the East" is not only to increase the volume of trade and economic cooperation, but also to expand Russia's political and financial presence in the "Greater Asia" region. Russia's priority task is to attract foreign direct investment from this region, use the territories of advanced development to create new high-tech industries, deepen and expand international relations with all Asian countries. In this context, it is necessary for Russia to develop long-term strategies for the development of mutually beneficial relations with major Asian partners on a bilateral basis, based on a clear understanding of the importance of each of these states for Russia's national interests.

asian policy, regionalization of East Asia, turn to the East, eastern policy, russian foreign policy, economic sanctions, western-centric thinking, Asia-Pacific region, sanctions policy, military-technical cooperation