The key criterion by which its allies and partners should judge Russia is predictability, and, in this respect, Russia is increasingly falling short. When Putin welcomes Hamas’s leaders without consulting the other members of the “Quartet” – the United Nations, the European Union, and the United States – charged with shepherding peace talks between Israel and Palestine, is Russia testing its “nuisance value” or simply performing an “avant-garde” role for the other Quartet members?
盟友和伙伴们评价俄罗斯的关键标准是其可预测性。而在这方面，俄罗斯越来越令人失望。当普京没有和“四重奏”的另几个成员—联合国、欧盟和美国—商榷就对哈马斯领导人表示欢迎时，他被指责令巴以和谈陷入困境。俄罗斯到底是在测试自己的“噪声值”，还是想在“四重奏”中扮演“领头羊”的角色？