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Russia's top leaders are very pessimistic. They do not want to live through decades of hardship, so their only option for the future is to "look east."

The director of the Economic Cooperation Department of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Birichevsky, recently said that no matter how the Ukrainian crisis is resolved, Western sanctions on Russia will last for "decades."

[Director of the Economic Cooperation Department of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Birichevsky]

The diplomat stressed that the West, in its geopolitical confrontation with Moscow, is trying to use "interdependence in the global economy" as a weapon to contain Russia's development. He noted that the West had long ago imposed sanctions on Russia, with the ultimate goal of unfair competition.

As for how to view the future relationship with the West, the current Russian political elite is divided into two main views: one believes that as long as the Russian-Ukrainian conflict ends, the relationship between Russia and the West will soon normalize. "Everything will be back on track," so they hope that the conflict can end as soon as possible.

The other group holds a more pessimistic view. They believe that the path of integration into Europe has been proven to be a "dead end", and the rift between Russia and the West will not end with the end of the conflict. The West will not let Russia go, and Russia will have to endure decades of hardship under such normalized sanctions. The rift between the two sides will last for a long time, and "anti-Russian sanctions" will be the most significant symbol - this is the view expressed by Ritchevsky.