Russia has never systematically lobbied its interests in Brussels. There is no pro-Russian  lobby at EU level that politically supports Russia, promote its interests in Brussels , and works systematically on improving EU-Russian relations. We’re not talking here about Russia’s ‘public diplomacy and the use of public relations companies such as Brussels-based PR firm GPlus and others or the work undertaken by the Russian mission to the EU working on intelligence gathering and media handling.

The EU message (read the EU + USA) to Russia is clear: Choose the path to diplomacy and de-escalation or face increasing isolation and tighter and tighter sanctions.

The historically developed perception of Russia as fundamentally threatening to the United States’ values and interests strengthened domestic groups in American politics that worked to preserve the Russia-threat image after the end of the Cold War. The anti-Russian lobby in America emerged in the early 20th century and got consolidated during the Cold War. During that time powerful elites with mutually exclusive visions were formed on both sides of the Atlantic.

The biggest headache is geographical: Crimea has no land border with Russia. The closest link is a windswept ferry crossing in the far north-eastern corner of Crimea that connects Kerch with the Russian mainland. A bridge will have to be built across the 4.5-kilometer wide Strait of Kerch to mother Russia but that's a multi-year project.

For Russia, the main terrain on which World War II was fought was Ukraine. Let us remember that 3.5 million soviet soldiers died liberating Ukraine, and they were not exclusively Ukrainians.

President Putin explains the history of Crimea and what Russia and Crimea have always meant for each other as follows:

The European Union and United States have agreed to impose sanctions against Russian and Ukrainian officials deemed responsible for a contested independence referendum in Crimea

EU BLACK LIST

1. Rewe:  The Rewe Supermarket Chain (under the name Billa) generates over 640 million euros of revenues each year from the Russian market. Russia represents the strongest foreign market for the chain.

Overall, Western diplomats failed to understand the existential importance of Ukraine to Russia. Specifically:

1. There was no formula offered for joint sovereignty over Crimea with the understanding that Russia would have a clear and unequivocal Russian sovereignty over Sevastopol.

THE RUSSIAN POSITION

Foreign direct investment (FDI) in Russia reached a record $94 billion in 2013, a leap of 83 percent on the year before according to a United Nations report. Russia follows the US and China as the third most attractive country for investors. The Global FDI research published by the UNCTAD – the UN agency responsible for international trade and development – has Russia jumping 6 places from its 9th spot in 2012. The shift was primarily caused by the UK’s BP taking an 18.5 percent stake in Rosneft as part of Rosneft's $57 billion acquisition of TNK-BP.