Leaving aside cooperation with the US, "Europe has its own interests, especially in the security field. And due to those interests, Europe has a stronger need to cooperate with Russia than maybe the US does," Gusenbauer told RT.
The Austrian politician acknowledged that European leaders currently appear to be readjusting their foreign policy in favor of closer ties with Moscow as evidenced by a recent remark made by European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker.
"We must make efforts towards a practical relationship with Russia. It is not sexy but that must be the case, we can't go on like this," Junker said in early October. "Russia must be treated decently. … We can't let our relationship with Russia be dictated by Washington."
This shift in perception became possible when European leaders understood that Europe can no longer disassociate itself from the challenges it faces mistakenly believing that they will not affect it. The bloody civil war in Syria is one such challenge, the Austrian politician noted.
"There are limits to the capacity of Europe to absorb refugees, to host them properly and to integrate them," he noted.
Gusenbauer added that he remained optimistic that the international community would reach a level of cooperation needed to tackle Islamic State, which is responsible for what is happening in Syria.
