Meeting Russia - Day 1
On May 25th, Meeting Russia, the Russian Public Diplomacy program for young leaders, started for the fifth time. This time diplomats, analysts, journalists and social activists from the BRICS countries, the CIS member states, the EU, Latin America and South-East Asia gathered online.
The sponsor of the project is the Presidential Grants Fund, and the media partners are the Gorchakov Public Diplomacy Fund and the Project Office of the International Youth Cooperation "Russia-BRICS".

DAY ONE of Meeting Russia-2022 began with the discussion of the Russia-West relations in the new geopolitical reality. Maxim Suchkov (Director of the Institute for International Studies at MGIMO University) and Ruslan Pukhov (Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies) were the invited experts of the first sub-forum.

The sub-forum was focused on the Russian special military operation in Ukraine, and the way it affected the Russia-West relations. Following the experts' speeches, the participants discussed the prospects of a new European security architecture, possible scenarios of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, as well as the post-conflict world order. Much attention was given to the role of the U.S. and their allies in the current geopolitical situation.

The second sub-forum was focused on the prospects of the Russian economy. Ivan Timofeev, the Director of Programmes of the Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC), and Ekaterina Arapova, the Director and Senior Research Fellow at the Sanctions Policy Expertise Center of the Institute of International Studies (MGIMO), led the discussion.

The participants of the second sub-forum discussed the influence of the sanctions on the Russian economy and on the world economy, the short- and long-term consequences of the sanctions, and the prospects of developing trade and business ties with Asian countries.

The speakers further shared their views on overcoming the consequences of the sanction regime. In conclusion, the experts expressed their opinions on the possible scenarios of Russia's development and admitted that the sanctions issue would be burning for quite some time, which would keep the study of the issue essential.

The third sub-forum was focused on the role of mass media in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict and the way global media currently treat Russia. Dmitry Polyansky, deputy head of Russia's mission to the UN, Elena Tchernenko, special correspondent of "Kommersant", and Andrei Afanasyev, journalist and TV host, led the discussion.

During the heated discussion, the speakers offered different viewpoints on information wars and on the freedom of mass media in Russia. They also addressed the problems of the media isolation of Russia and the blocking of media platforms.

Tomorrow is DAY TWO of Meeting Russia-2022. Expert discussions of key issues of the international agenda are expected: the Eurasian economic integration, the isolation of Russia, and the prospects of cooperation among the BRICS countries within the new world order.
Ruslan Pukhov
Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies
Ekaterina Arapova
Director and Senior Research Fellow at the Sanctions Policy Expertise Center of the Institute of International Studies (MGIMO)
Kenneth Jim Joseph M. Jimeno
Foreign Service Officer, Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs, Department of Foreign Affairs (Philippines)