The European Union and Russia represent different approaches to the balance between hard and soft power. The European Union is stronger in its soft power, but lacks hard power instruments. It is connected with the nature of the political entity as there is no EU army. Armies are in the competence of the EU member states. The key power source is the attractiveness of the European Union for the nations, acceptability of European norms and standards. The concept of „European values” includes a number of integral parts – observance of human civil and political rights and freedoms; ethno-religious tolerance; resolving conflicts by negotiations; maintenance of economic and political stability basing on social solidarity; safeguarding of security. These values are shared by all European states and have an impact on the global society.
Russia inherited the USSR military experience, diplomatic schools and schools of negotiations. But ideological work applied in the USSR quickly turned out to be outdated in the modern world. In recent years Russia has tried to adapt soft power concept to its foreign policy and to become more active in public diplomacy track. Nevertheless Russian „soft power” had no success in Ukraine because it failed to convince Ukrainians of the attractiveness of Russian culture, language, traditional values and economic prospects. Moreover, Russia strongly used the confessional-ecclesiastical factor in its own policy towards the Ukrainian people.
Soon it became clear that interests of Russia and the West in Ukraine are absolutely different.
Russia is more experienced using its hard power both in military and economic fields. Russian and European hard forces in the territories of Eastern Europe are not balanced. Russia’s actions present a serious challenge to basic principles of contemporary European and world order.
