Theorising conflict and cooperation in EU-Russia energy relations: ideas, identities and material factors in the Nord Stream 2 debate

Relations between the European Union and Russia have been framed around a conflict/cooperation dichotomy. Following the Ukraine crisis, confrontation has extended to the economic arena, which had previously epitomised the post-Cold War rapprochement between Russia and the EU. Nevertheless, the cooperative side of the dichotomy has not disappeared. The paper argues that ideational factors, notably different conceptualisations of Russia in the national identities of EU member states, are essential to understand the conflict/cooperation dichotomy in the energy sector. The argument is illustrated through an analysis of national leaders’ discourses on Nord Stream-2, with a focus on Germany and Poland.