Less than three months ago, hundreds of scientists from Russia, Europe, Asia and North America gathered in Tbilisi, Georgia, for the 2008 Phage Biology, Ecology and Therapy Meeting at the George Eliava Institute of Bacteriophage, Microbiology and Virology. In the light of recent events, it seems unlikely that a similarly illustrious scientific meeting will happen again there any time soon.

But the political reverberations that have inevitably followed the conflict in the Caucasus region should not be allowed to damage science. Indeed, the rougher the language between Moscow and the West, the more valuable it becomes to sustain good relations in research.

Science cannot and should not be blind to politics. But even if the current political crisis escalates, it would be utterly unwise of either side to halt or suspend existing scientific agreements and collaborations. Over the past two decades, East–West scientific relationships have developed from pure unilateral aid to increasingly fruitful collaborations.

This process must continue. Joint efforts in arms control, nuclear non-proliferation and biosafety have made this planet a safer place to live than it was at the height of the cold war. Mechanisms such as the International Science and Technology Center, which since 1992 has provided former weapons scientists with opportunities in international partnerships, have helped prevent Soviet research centres and armouries from becoming shopping paradises for terrorists and dodgy heads-of-state. And the influx to Western labs of countless highly skilled Russian mathematicians, computer scientists and others has propelled advances in fields ranging from bioinformatics to climate modelling.

Looking forward, collaboration with Russia in space, energy and arms limitation will be a key issue for the incoming US administration, and the European Union's member states need to decide whether Russia can join the seventh Framework programme (see page 6).

The current political tensions could all too easily block these avenues of collaboration, which would harm not only Western interests but those of Russia's researchers too. Scientists and political leaders should do everything they can to avoid those outcomes. As Russia regains its strength and pride, direct financial support for Russian science from foreign governments will inevitably decline. What should follow is an equal scientific partnership based on mutual trust, respect and responsibility. Prudent scientific diplomacy is a peace-keeping measure in its own right.