Comparative Analysis of the Positions of ASEAN Countries on the Anti-Russian Sanctions of the West in 2022-2023

The rapid change in the course of Russian foreign policy remain the main consequence of Western anti-Russian sanctions since 2022. Currently, more and more attention is being paid to the development of “turn to the East" policy . The development of cooperation with ASEAN states is a logical continuation of this policy. Under these circumstances, the question of how much ASEAN states are ready to cooperate with Russia and how much Russia can rely on the support of ASEAN states in the "pivot to the East" is most acute. Consequently, the main objective of this study was to compare and identify the common and special characteristics of ASEAN states' positions on cooperation with Russia under Western sanctions. Our research started with theoretical background for sanctions research. We analyzed how scale, reasoning, subject, sphere of influence and duration of sanctions against Russia changed in a period since 2022. With the help of discourse analysis based on the official statements of the representatives of ASEAN member states we outlined the division based on the attitude towards anti-Russian sanctions of the West within ASEAN into three broad groups of “neutral”, “supporters” and “non-supporters”. The common features for the most prone to cooperation with Russia group of states of “non-supporters” are the history of connections with Russia and the desire to strengthen the bilateral ties. For “supporters” the common features are the fear for political security and unwillingness to prioritize benefits of economic cooperation with Russia over security concerns. For “neutral” states the desire to maintain fruitful cooperation with Russia in economic sphere and maintain good political relations with the West is central for policy development. With the reference to regional and global economic developments we managed to outline the most favourable partners for Russian Federation among the category of “neutral” and “non-supporters” states alongside with the potential formats and challenges for cooperation.