Belgrade, April 2025 — The Center for International Relations and Sustainable Development (CIRSD) hosted a special edition of its acclaimed Horizons Discussions series, featuring an in-depth conversation between CIRSD President Vuk Jeremić and Professor Andrey Sushentsov, Dean of the School of International Relations at MGIMO University and one of Russia’s most influential strategic thinkers.
Held before a distinguished audience of diplomats, scholars, and business leaders in Belgrade, the discussion was titled “A Riddle Wrapped in a Mystery” and examined Russia’s evolving role on the global stage amid the ongoing war in Ukraine and growing global polarization.
“This crisis is a stress test not just for Russia’s institutions, but for the entire post-Cold War global order,” said Professor Sushentsov. “It has clarified the limits of unipolarity and accelerated the emergence of a new multipolar system grounded in sovereign interest and strategic autonomy.”
He argued that the conflict in Ukraine was precipitated by failed diplomacy in 2021, when Russia’s proposed security guarantees were rejected by the West. Despite extensive military and political support for Ukraine, Sushentsov maintained that “the endgame will reflect realities that have been clear from the beginning—namely, that Russia’s vital interests in European security must be acknowledged.”
The conversation also explored the broader implications of Europe’s rearmament, the erosion of strategic thinking among Western elites, and the legacy of Cold War diplomacy.
“Today’s European leadership lacks the strategic depth and restraint of de Gaulle or Brandt,” Sushentsov warned. “Rhetoric without responsibility could once again lead Europe into dangerous waters.”
On the question of future peace in Ukraine, he emphasized that “lasting stability can only be achieved if Ukraine commits to genuine neutrality—not as a tactical move, but as a long-term strategic orientation. A neutral Ukraine that recognizes the cultural and linguistic rights of its Russian-speaking citizens is the only sustainable outcome.”
Jeremić and Sushentsov also addressed Russia’s evolving partnership with China and the rise of a Eurasian order.
“Russia and China are not building an alliance of convenience,” said Sushentsov. “They are developing a long-term strategic consensus rooted in principles—mutual respect, sovereignty, and non-interference—codified as early as 1997.”
“The real question,” added Jeremić, “is whether the West will adapt to this new reality of multipolarity—or continue to resist it, risking further instability.”
The conversation concluded with reflections on Serbia’s role in this changing geopolitical landscape. When asked what course Serbia should take, Professor Sushentsov advised:
“In a world marked by shifting centers of gravity, Serbia should remain strategically agile—an independent, sovereign actor that engages with all sides while maintaining its identity and historical ties. Being a bridge between East and West is not a weakness; it is a profound strategic asset.”
This edition of Horizons Discussions reaffirmed CIRSD’s commitment to uncensored, forward-looking dialogue on the most pressing global issues. As Jeremić noted in closing:
“Horizons and Belgrade continue to serve as a crossroads where East meets West—an essential space for meaningful engagement in a world increasingly defined by complexity and contradiction.”
