MOSCOW, Jan 11, 2026 (BSS/TASS) - The restoration of economic relations between Russia and the EU is virtually impossible even over the next ten years, Nikolay Gaponenko, associate professor at the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration, said in his report Strategic Forecast - Europe on the Brink of Crisis: The New Reality of 2026-2030, made available to TASS.

"The probability of a full restoration of pre-war economic relations between Russia and the EU within the next ten years is close to zero. The geopolitical rift is systemic," Gaponenko said.

According to the economist, the Russian economy and budget system have already adapted to the severing of old ties. "New logistics routes and sales markets established in Turkey, the UAE, India, China, and African countries have partially compensated for the losses. Further development of these eastern and southern axes is now considered a strategic priority," he noted.

Despite the bleak outlook for Russia-EU relations, targeted, controlled, and pragmatic cooperation on specific, technically complex issues remains possible.

"This could include extending and modifying transit agreements, for example for gas and ammonia through Ukraine or Turkey; cooperation in nuclear energy for fuel supplies and maintenance of nuclear power plants; industry-specific collaboration in knowledge-intensive areas such as space and thermonuclear fusion, where interdependence remains; and dialogue on climate and the Arctic, where the parties' interests objectively intersect," Gaponenko wrote in the report.