ABSTRACT
The policy of inter-republican cooperation was pursued by the Russian government persistently. It must have seen the process as producing intended results. If the aim of the policy was to make it difficult for Gorbachev to rebuild the Soviet state, then its impact should be visible in the Lithuanian case. In other words, Russia was creating opportunities for Lithuania to hold on to its position. The RSFSR's strategy was complicating the centre's effort to handle the Lithuanian situation. Focusing on Lithuanian-USSR relations, more precisely on Lithuanian-Union negotiations, I scrutinize how Lithuania used Russian support to its advantage.
