Russian domestic reaction to the Russia-NATO Council and its consequences for Putin's pro-Western policy

Many analysts agree that the creation of the Russia-NATO Council has left Vladimir Putin isolated at home, hostage of his foreign policy and security establishments, without qualified and willing people to make it succeed and with public opinion suspicious, if not directly afraid, of the Western threat. However, as recent events are showing, the future of the Russia-NATO Council does not depend exclusively, or even fundamentally, on Russian domestic reaction but also on the security policies pursued by the West, above all by the U.S. and the EU as a whole. These policies have implications for Putin’s pro-Western policy at home. Depending on their nature they can facilitate or hinder Putin’s ability to sell his foreign policy course internally. At present, they seem to be hindering more than facilitating Putin’s stance among the Russian security and foreign policy establishment