The 31st Russia EU summit was held in Yekaterinburg and ended on June 4th. The two-day summit focused on several issues including human rights, trade cooperation, and visa-free travel. At the top of the agenda were two key issues: how to improve the legal bilateral framework for relations between the European Union and Russia, and the dispute over the role of arms in the Syrian civil war.  The EU’s team was formed by Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso and Council President Herman Van Rompuy, together with the Energy Commissioner Gunther Oettinger and Foreign Affairs Chief Catherine Ashton. Vladimir Putin, the Russian President, was the head of the Russian team. During the summit, the only tangible agreement reached by both parties was to strengthen the bilateral anti-narcotics regime. The two sides remain at an impasse over Syria. Russia’s government has long been arming the Assad regime, and recently announced that it would go through with a controversial shipment of anti-air missiles that could complicate American, European and/or Israeli intervention. The European Union had placed a complete arms embargo on Syria, but recently amendment it so that European countries could arm Syrian rebels. No agreement was reached on a proposal that would have made it easier for Russian government officials to travel to the EU. The EU also expressed concern about providing airline passenger data to the Russian government for security purposes, and disagreement remained over civil rights issues in Russia.

Despite the failure to make immediate progress in many areas, both parties emphasized the importance of bilateral relations and expressed willingness for further discussion and negotiation over Syrian arm supplies as well as the remaining unresolved issues. The bilateral relationship between the EU and Russia has grown significantly in recently years. Currently the EU is the largest source of investment in Russia and around 60% of Russian foreign investment is in the EU, which makes Russia a critical EU trading partner. Both parties are seeking to progressively deepen their mutually beneficial relations and strategic partnership. Despite large disagreements, Russia and the EU depend on each other in many respects, and can achieve common economic and security objectives. The President of the European Council, Herman Van Rompuy, stated at the press conference that Russian-EU relations have "developed tremendously over the last 25 years," adding that, "we have become first-rate and indeed indispensable economic partners to each other."

Malta’s interests are at stake in EU-Russian negotiations. Cooperation between Russia and Malta was deepened by an agreement, signed on April 25 2013, to avoid double-taxation and mitigate tax fraud. The agreement is expected to accelerate investment by removing a key trade barrier. Even the disagreement over Syrian policy involves Malta. On May 31, a number of Syrian residents in Malta protested Russian arms sales to Syria in front of the Russian embassy in Kappara. In the summit, Russia criticised the EU’s decision not to renew the arms embargo against Syrian rebels on 27 May but defended their right to sell arms to the Syrian government. Russian arms exports are a major source of government revenue and influence, and Russia wishes to maintain the credibility of its military relationships even when put under pressure. Since Russian policymakers generally believe that humanitarian interventions by European countries and the United States are used to hurt Russian interests, Russia is unlikely to back down from supporting the Assad regime in the status quo. However, if attempts are made to reach a negotiated settlement in Syria that allows Russia to save face, effective EU-Russian cooperation will almost certainly be necessary for any hope of a lasting peace. Thus, discussions now, even if they appear futile, are important to establish common ground that can be exploited if a future opportunity arises.

Forty seven MEPs in the European Parliament expressed their concerns over lifting visa restrictions on Russian government employees, on the grounds that it would allow human rights violators to travel freely to the EU and signed a petition letter to object such an agreement. The petition requests that the EU construct a list of specific officials who have violated human rights, similar to the United States’ “Magnitsky list,” which sanctions Russian officials involved in the death of a Russian attorney who died in police custody in 2009.

The summit in Yekaterinburg has shown the benefits of a pragmatic approach with Russia. While many issues remain unresolved, the agreements that were made represent substantial progress, and hopefully represent the foundation for future agreements. Malta, as well as the rest of the European Union, has a clear interest in fostering an effective relationship with Russia.