Geopolitics of Energy, Russia-EU Relations (Leaders' Perception of Nord Stream 2)

Material and geopolitical factors always have been one of the most important factors affecting countries' political relations with energy, but in addition, the way one decision-maker (leader) understands the world, himself or another, is vital to understand why some decisions are made and others are excluded by them. This paper aims to consider the perceptions of leaders, especially the different conceptualization of Russia and EU member states (Germany and Poland) from each other, to understand the duality of conflict/cooperation in the energy sector. Using reliable documentary and internet resources and using deductive strategy and in the framework of neoclassical realism, this article explains the question of how leaders' perceptions have affected Russia-EU relations with geopolitic of energy after the Ukraine crisis and how has it shaped their relations? The hypothesis is that the perception of leaders has played an increasingly important role in the logic of conflict/cooperation in geopolitic of energy, and the other has reactivation of friend-foe in Russian-EU energy relations. In no other case is such a dichotomy as the Nord Stream 2 pipeline project, clearer. In analyzing the subject, while the present study does not ignore the importance of material and geopolitical factors, it concludes the understanding and perception variable of leaders on both Russia and the European Union (Germany and Poland) as an important and fundamental variable in shaping their relationship with Nord Stream 2.