There is quite a big inconsistance of the tendencies of policy between the old members of the EU and the new ones. Lithuania and Poland often differ in especially strictly positions talking about the formation of the EU foreign policy. Those countries publicly declare the opponent position in point of Russia and are ready to use their veto in order to suspend the negotiation between the EU and Russia. Lithuania and Poland are actively trying to formulate the more critical position of the EU in point of Russia and according to the historical wounds that are still not solved, those countries rarely miss the opportunity to criticize the Eastern neighbour. Meanwhile the reluctance of Russia and some of the EU members to speak about the problems of Russia and the policy in „the near abroad“ raise the doubts as concerns the real strategic partnership between the EU and Russia.

Changes in the EU – Russia relations has determined the main objective of this study – to analise the relations of the EU and Russian Federation, their changes, and with reference to the case of Lithuania to reveal the influence for those processes of the new members, that are the post – soviet countries of the EU.

Raktažodžiai: European Union, Lithuania, Russia