Relationship dossier
Russia
Slovenia
Relationship assessment
Russia–Slovenia relations are substantially strained over the war in Ukraine and reciprocal diplomatic restrictions.
Russia toward Slovenia
-45Russia designated Slovenia an “unfriendly” state and imposed restrictions affecting the staffing of its diplomatic mission, in response to measures by countries including Slovenia.
Slovenia toward Russia
-50Slovenia implemented EU sanctions on Russia following its invasion of Ukraine and reduced the size of Russia’s diplomatic presence in Slovenia.
Overall relationship
-50The relationship has shifted from pragmatic bilateral ties to pronounced confrontation centered on Russia’s war against Ukraine. EU sanctions and Slovenia’s reduction of Russia’s diplomatic presence, alongside Russia’s designation of Slovenia as an unfriendly state and restrictions on its diplomatic mission, are major features of the current structure.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Relations have become substantially strained over Russia’s war against Ukraine. Slovenia has implemented EU sanctions on Russia and reduced the size of Russia’s diplomatic presence; Russia designated Slovenia an “unfriendly” state and imposed restrictions affecting its diplomatic mission. These confrontational measures outweigh the more pragmatic character of earlier bilateral ties.
Areas of tension
- Slovenia’s implementation of EU sanctions on Russia following the invasion of Ukraine.
- Slovenia’s reduction of Russia’s diplomatic presence.
- Russia’s designation of Slovenia as an unfriendly state and restrictions affecting its diplomatic mission.
Key developments
Slovenia expelled 33 Russian diplomats following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Russia designated Slovenia an “unfriendly” state and imposed restrictions affecting diplomatic missions of countries on its list.
Slovenia implemented EU sanctions on Russia following the invasion of Ukraine.
Major uncertainties
- The scope and implementation of Russian restrictions on Slovenia’s diplomatic mission are unclear.
- The extent of bilateral cooperation outside the Ukraine-related dispute is unclear.