ABSTRACT
This chapter seeks to grasp the concept of multilateralism as both an organising principle and as an idea. It then studies the discourse of the EU and Russia on multilateralism before the Ukraine crisis, understanding how (self-)perception has coloured the multilateral preferences of both actors, specifically the EU's 'effective multilateralism' and Russia's 'equal multilateralism'. The disparities between actual policies and stated preferences are understood in terms of the diverging drivers of the multilateral policies of both actors. Multilateralist rhetoric appears as an important legitimiser. The chapter explores how the conflict has altered attitudes to multilateralism and affected cooperation between Brussels and Moscow in multilateral forums. While tensions over Ukraine could be regarded as a deep crisis of multilateralism, they have also created some unexpected ambiguities whereby certain forms of multilateral cooperation have taken on a new role. Yet, the crisis has also put further strain on the credibility of Russia's concept of multilateralism, strongly interwoven with international law.
