The political reintegration of the CIS appears utopian, since the “back to the USSR” process, i.e. return to a united state, will not become a reality in any form. There is no going back. There is no chance that, in the foreseeable future, the Eurasian Union will resemble a federation or a super-state. Neither Kazakhstan nor Belarus, and particularly not their political and economic elites, will cede formal independence to a successor of the USSR. On the other hand, the Eurasian Union as a confederation in which the different participants have unequal roles but equal rights is unlikely to suit Russia, which is by far the biggest partner demographically, politically and militarily. The union state of Russia and Belarus, the two closest countries, was unveiled on the threshold of the 21st century, but remains essentially nonexistent: vividly demonstrating the magnitude of the problems faced.
Nevertheless, further political rapprochement between Russia and other CIS countries, principally Kazakhstan and Belarus, is still required, and indeed is underway. With economic integration already on track, Astana, Minsk and Moscow are progressively developing common interests, necessitating closer policy coordination. Symbolic steps like coordinating positions prior to UN General Assembly sessions matter less than cooperation on purely practical matters such as assisting Kazakhstan and Belarus in acceding to the WTO or accommodating a future Russia-EU agreement with the existing Customs Union and Common Economic Space.