Not on speaking terms, but business as usual: the ambiguous coexistence of conflict and cooperation in EU–Russia relations

Since the crisis over Ukraine erupted, relations between Russia and the EU have been characterised by the coexistence of competition and cooperation. How can we explain this ambiguity? First, a distinction is made between the multi-actor structure of low politics versus polarised discursive positions in high politics. Construal-Level Theory is invoked to explain how low politics is characterised by concrete images, while high politics is characterised by abstract, ideologised images. Second, the article considers the interaction between both levels and argues that the contagion from more cooperative low level practices to the defrosting of EU-Russia relations is unlikely.