The full version of this article can be read on the Huffington Post.

While the fast friendship and personalism between Sarkozy and Medvedev are important, the motives behind the alliance have been obscured (for example, it is difficult to believe that anyone expects progress toward Iran sanctions). Taking the advice of Jean-David Levitte, the key architect of France’s new Russia policy, Sarkozy is acting in concert with other European leaders to make a public show of support and preference for Medvedev over Vladimir Putin, and thereby encourage change from within the government in Russia.

In reality, it is the perfect example of how well the ruling diarchy works in Russia to disaggregate critical EU states and sow divisions on the continent. With frequent speeches about democracy, anti-corruption, legal nihilism and rule of law, Medvedev represents everything that Europe wants Russia to be on the surface, without actually having to pursue any such ideals in practice. For many European leaders, the Medvedev brand provides a convenient excuse – the easiest way to launder their pandering to Moscow for multi-billion-euro arms and energy contracts without sacrificing the pretense of values.