Russians consider it less important for their government to promote cooperation than to re-assert Russia’s position on the world stage, a recent survey conducted by the independent pollster Levada Center shows.
The poll published on Thursday showed that 59 percent of respondents think that Russia’s foreign policy goal should be to promote a peaceful and safe existence for the country.
Forty-nine percent, however, considered the main priority to re-establish Russia’s authority “as one of the most influential countries in the world, without which not a single important question can be solved.”
Almost one-quarter of respondents, 21 percent, said they considered the Kremlin’s most important task to resist European and U.S. influence. Another 14 percent considered it important to “expand Russia’s borders.”
Only 27 percent of those questioned thought it was most important to maintain positive relations with more advanced countries and 21 percent upheld cooperation with other countries on conflict zones and combatting terrorism as a priority.
The survey allowed respondents to choose multiple answers.
The poll was conducted between June 23-26 among 1,600 participants in 48 regions.