Relationship dossier
Russia
Vanuatu
Relationship assessment
Limited practical cooperation alongside Vanuatu's opposition to Russia's invasion of Ukraine
Russia toward Vanuatu
+15Russia concluded a visa-free travel arrangement with Vanuatu and provided humanitarian assistance after Cyclone Pam in 2015.
Vanuatu toward Russia
-10Vanuatu supported United Nations resolutions condemning Russia's invasion of Ukraine, publicly opposing a major Russian foreign-policy action.
Overall relationship
+5The bilateral relationship includes practical cooperation through a visa-free travel arrangement and Russian humanitarian assistance after Cyclone Pam. Vanuatu's support for United Nations resolutions condemning the invasion of Ukraine is a substantial countervailing diplomatic disagreement. The relationship appears limited in scope, with insufficient basis to characterize it as a close partnership or sustained confrontation.
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
Russia and Vanuatu have maintained diplomatic relations and concluded a visa-free travel arrangement. Russia also provided humanitarian assistance to Vanuatu following Cyclone Pam in 2015. Vanuatu's support for United Nations resolutions condemning Russia's invasion of Ukraine represents a significant diplomatic disagreement. The relationship combines limited practical cooperation with divergent positions on international security.
Areas of tension
- Vanuatu's support for United Nations resolutions condemning Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Key developments
Russia provided humanitarian assistance to Vanuatu following Cyclone Pam.
Russia and Vanuatu concluded a visa-free travel arrangement.
Vanuatu supported United Nations resolutions condemning Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Major uncertainties
- The extent of implementation and practical use of the visa-free travel arrangement is unclear.
- The scale and continuity of Russian assistance and other bilateral cooperation are unclear.