Experts discuss Russia's role in a multipolar world at the National Centre RUSSIA
A new system of international relations is being built in the world. It is based on the principles of fairness, mutual respect, and mutually beneficial cooperation. How to achieve its maximum effectiveness, and what role does the Russian Federation play in this? All this was discussed during the Open Dialogue titled "Russia in the World: A New Architecture of International Relations", which was held on 8 December as part of the All-Russian Patriotic Forum at the National Centre RUSSIA.
The meeting was attended by Mikhail Shvydkoy, Special Representative of the President of the Russian Federation for International Cultural Cooperation, and Fyodor Lukyanov, Editor-in-Chief of the Russia in Global Affairs journal and Research Director of the Valdai International Discussion Club.
The participants recalled the official visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to India (on 4-5 December 2025), noting the exceptionally warm reception by the host country. According to Fyodor Lukyanov, the history of relations between the two states spans almost 80 years. During this time, the international situation has changed many times, but none of the twists and turns of world politics have affected the willingness for close interaction.
India-Russia relations are of a unique nature. It is enough to say that 96% of trade settlements between the countries are conducted in national currencies, and cooperation in the military-technical sphere is unprecedented. There is practically no other country in the world with which Russia has this level of cooperation.
"Currently, India is experiencing quite serious pressure from the United States of America, and the formal reason for this is its cooperation with Russia. <…> And credit must be given to our Indian partners: they know how to manoeuvre, but they do not bend. They find ways, albeit somewhat altered due to sanctions, to continue this cooperation. Do we have absolute harmony? Of course not — it simply does not exist between two such large countries. But if we speak about what truly good relations between states that are not formal allies can be like, then perhaps the relations between Russia and India are precisely such an example," noted Fyodor Lukyanov.
During the discussion, Mikhail Shvydkoy noted that Russia and India have deep traditions of spiritual ties: "The correspondence between Rabindranath Tagore and Leo Tolstoy is well-known, and indeed, the name of Tolstoy, like that of Roerich, is almost sacred for India. It is a country with an amazing, self-sufficient culture."
At the same time, after the start of the special military operation, a number of states in the world unilaterally decided to cease cooperation in a number of areas, including in the sphere of culture.
"Nevertheless, if you look at the programmes of, say, the Vienna State Opera, the Bavarian State Opera, the Metropolitan Opera today, you will see that there are a large number of Russian names there. And it is absolutely clear that today, for objective reasons, the world opera scene cannot exist without Russian performers. When they talk about 'cancelling Russian culture,' it's simply laughable, because it is impossible to cancel Chekhov, Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, Shostakovich. It is also impossible to cancel today's Russian performers — it's unrealistic," emphasised Mikhail Shvydkoy.
An example of this is the 19th Festival of Russian Culture held in Tokyo this spring. It has been held since 2006, and the last festival was dedicated to a significant date — the 170th anniversary of the conclusion of the first treaty between Russia and Japan in 1855. Despite everything, Japanese artists are convinced: culture is above politics, and they continue cooperation in the cultural sphere.
According to Mikhail Shvydkoy, Russian people are viewed as Europeans in the East. And in our country, values that were once considered exclusively European are preserved better than anywhere else.
The session then transitioned to a "Q&A" format, where anyone could ask questions to the speakers. For example, one of the questions was about cultural initiatives within organisations such as the BRICS.
"There are indeed many initiatives. Recently, the ceremony of the BRICS Literature Award was held. An Egyptian female author received the first prize for an outstanding literary work. Also, the Diamond Butterfly award was presented — a prize established by the Eurasian Academy of Cinematographic Arts, which is headed by Nikita Mikhalkov. A large number of projects related to youth and fine arts are being implemented. In this regard, it is especially important that many countries are open to Russian artists and cultural figures today, willing to receive them and interested in seeing them. Expanding the geography of cultural contacts allows Russia to reposition itself in the global space and demonstrate its own achievements," emphasised Mikhail Shvydkoy.
The All-Russian Patriotic Forum is being held at the National Centre RUSSIA from 7 to 10 December. This large-scale event has brought together over 4,000 representatives of patriotic communities from all regions of the country and friendly states. The forum is organised by the Federal State Budgetary Institution Rospatriotcentre of Rosmolodezh, the Russian society Znanie, the Movement of the First, and the All-Russian Youth Military Patriotic Public Movement YUNARMIYA.
Event photobank
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