Sauron’s Eye – The Russian Factor in EU-EaP Relations

The aim of the article is to argue that the Russian factor will remain one the key elements af-fecting relations between the European Union and its Eastern Partners and Russia’s policy towards Eastern Partners could be analyzed through the prism of the so-called Sauron’s eye concept. Concerning theoretical approaches, neoclassical realism seems to be the most ade-quate in this context. In contrast to classical realism, which recognizes states as the main actors of international relations, neoclassical realism points to the key role of state leaders. The paper involves a brief analysis of the Russian factor impact on EU-Eastern Partners relations up to 2009 and then focuses on Eastern Partnership and Russia’s approach towards this initiative. Moscow’s policy towards Eastern Partners is exerted by differentiated tools – political, eco-nomic and soft power. Finally, the paper provides with an analysis on the consequences of Moscow’s engagement in the EaP region for Russia’s foreign policy and EU-EaP relations.