>> asking about the eurasian union. >> the eurasian union. >> john's question, too. save time. >> assume that you're right and putin's support collapses in two, three, four years, he doesn't last six years. what sort of transition is there going to be after putin? what is that collapse going to look like? what comes afterwards? and what challenges does that have for the rest of the world? >> take those two. >> sure. on the eurasian question, i think it's going to be the same fate as the union state of russia, belarus. sometimes brought to the fore when it's needed for propaganda purposes, sometimes forgotten. you mentioned lukashenko. exactly the same pattern with that. this union state has existed since 1996. there hasn't been anything to do it. the only unintended consequences, the only good one, you were there, don, a couple months ago. one of the leaders of the opposition from belarus came here to washington to receive an award. and he's, of course, on the band, on the blacklist by lukashenko. he's not allowed to leave belarus. so what these opposition figures do

so if if the this eurasian union is built and starts functioning would make the russian. naturally usually but when that happens so it's a big question. it might so it might happen so but when i don't know so far it's not the problem so so so so so you're not sure it may happen any time soon i mean in this presidential term a person where i don't think that it happened within the. you know the next three years no no i don't think so. but it might happen so we've if if the level of relations between the three countries now we're talking about. reaches the same grade of relations which exist between russia and. might happen so doesn't depend on the political will or there are other problems in creating. the great extent to years political yes and certainly and other problems because there are many objective questions which should be solved and it needs some time for that many people say one of the problems of integration with other us is that nobody wants to share power that moscow expects to look at the ship with moscow and he doesn't want to do that is that true he is a m

one of his ideas is a sort of eurasian union made up of former soviet states, and he's not afraid of energy resources as a bargaining chip to get his way. >>but putin is also keen on havg good relations with the european union, and especially with germany. >> for putin, germany is the most important partner when it comes to modernizing his country. that is also russia's most important export market. >> putin envisions a russia once again pulling strings in world affairs, but his options for asserting power internationally are slowly diminishing. and the continuous protests against his election are a reminder that post -- putin does the biggest challenges are not in the global arena. they are at home. >> coming up, we will have some sports, with a look at the team germany is putting together for the european soccer championships. but first, a look at some of the other stories making headlines at this hour. >> serbia's main parties are tied after presidential and parliamentary elections on sunday. the incumbent will face the challenger in a runoff poll for the presidency in two weeks' t

>> you are talking about the eurasian union?urasian union. >> when putin's superclasses in two or three or four years, it doesn't last -- what kind of transition will there be, what that will that classify? what challenges does that face the rest of the world with? >> union state of russia, -- [inaudible] this union state, since 1996, it hasn't been anything to it. the only unintended consequences, the only good one, i think, you were there a couple of months ago. [inaudible] he was on the band of blacklist that she is not allowed to leave belarus. there is no border between them and russia. that is the only good unintended consequence of the union state. in terms of your question on the transition, it is very much up to the regime as to how this transition will be. when you saw the initial process in december and february, he saw people coming out with families and small kids, people wearing white ribbons, and it was 100% peaceful of a protest. a moral peaceful protest against this kind of regime. when you have -- basically unl

>> asking about the eurasian union? >> the eurasian union. >> take john's question together with it, please, to save time. >> this is putin's support if it collapses in two or three years, if he does last six years, what sort of transition is there going to be after putin? what does that collapse look like? what comes afterwards? what challenges is that based in the rest of the world? >> sure. eurasian question will be the same fate as the union russia. stimes, you know, when it's needed for propaganda purposes, it's forgotten. it's the same type. this union state, quote-on-quote, has been there since 1996. there's nothing to it. the only unintended consequence or only good one, i think you were there a couple months ago, leaders of the opposition was there to receive an award, and he's, of course, on the ban, blacklist by lukashenko, he's not allowed to leave bellaruse. they take a plane and fly. that's the only good, but unintended consequences of the union state, and in terms of your very important question on the tr

or will it be something that just dies off eventually the eurasian union? >> if putin's support collapses in two years, for years, he does not last six years, what sort of transition is the record to be after put in? what is that collapsed going to look like? what comes afterward? and what challenges does that face the rest of the world? >> on the duration question, it will be the same fate. it is a rhetorical device. it is brought to the fore when it is needed for propaganda forces. this union state existed since 1996. there has not been anything to it. the unintended consequence, the only good one, you were there a couple of months ago and one of the leaders from the opposition came here to washington to receive an award. he is on the black list. he is not believed -- not allowed to leave belarus. there's no border between belarus and russia. that is the only good unintended consequence of the union state. in terms of your question on the transition, it is very much up to the regime how this transition will be. when you saw the initial protests in decembe

the eurasian focus of putin a key point for reviving the interior of russia's economy is from places such as almost from siberia and other areas that have been through the collapse of the soviet union in sad neglect economically and bringing more of a tallit he is the trade between russia and china and countries in between the so-called stans increases greatly over the next years with high speed metallurgy technologies iron ore technologies and so forth russia could play a leading role under a putin presidency and i'm at the prime ministership in building this high speed infrastructure when i'm just funny just days before going to be pushing integration there were some violent protests here in moscow against his return do you expect this backlash to continue and does that suggest russian society is becoming more open and with of course medvedev concentrating on domestic policies how do you see the political scene and the opposition developing. well the opposition is really a motley crew was as you pointed out in the previous. presentation the. leading figures of the opposition talking about corruption are really people whose own track record in there is all their own links to the n