Russia is the 8th most spoken language with approximately 200 million speakers in 16 countries which makes Russia the 9th most populated country in the world
Answer - Russia is also an important supplier of raw materials, including oil and gas. This gives the country a political lever with regard to Western Europe. ... Europe has built up an economic union but not a defence union. The European Union is economically 12 times larger than Russia; it is a huge potential power.
