G20: Russia: Medvedev Couldn't Have Done Any Less (Seriously)

President Dmitry Medvedev started his final round of top level meetings before he to step down as President with the trip to Cannes. The scale of the unfolding disaster is far greater than the pile of debt accumulated by Greece, and the EU leaders are rightly embarrassed by their “model” union as it has become the epicenter of economic disaster – and by their inability to handle the problem. Medvedev however, did not have much to offer, as many hoped. He announced the sum of Russia’s possible contribution to $10 billion, however this was said to be “ridiculously inadequate, barely supporting the point that it is a part of the solution rather than the problem” . He did give unsolicited advice about reducing budget deficits whcih was hardly welcomed, but Medvedev’s argument that Russia was a part of Europe resonated particularly false because European politicians simply had neither the time for nor interest in his opinions and lack of help and leadership by his country.

A development that could have lifted Russia’s seat at the G20 table is the final resolution of the constant problem of its admission to the World Trade Organization (WTO). However, Medvedev was rather cautious and quiet on this issue. The difficult issues with Georgia were resolved by the at the of October, yet Prime Minister Vladimir Putin remained reluctant to give the final word on the deal as he does not like giving up his power to erect protective tariffs and considered that his favorite project to upgrade the Customs Union with Belarus and Kazakhstan would suffer a setback. Another meaningful contribution to calming down the European crisis could have been an agreement with Ukraine on gas trade and transit, but Moscow and kept to exploit the deepening political mess in Kyiv. Amid the turmoil that is the Euro right now, Medvedev arrived to the conference with quite a strong economy behind him.

Lacking serious things to say, Medvedev presented a rather dubious proposal for protecting intellectual property in the Internet but what was even odder was his attempt to position Russia together with “super-emerging” powers like China and apart from the depressed Western economies while claiming Russia was “with” Europe as they are a “part” of it. However, whatever he would have said would have little significance as this was his last global summit and while offering nothing observers believe there is even less he could have done.

- Roy.