Why did Klemens von Metternich fear a powerful Russia as much as a powerful France?

Klemens von Metternich’s foreign policy was fundamentally driven by his commitment to the balance of power in Europe, a doctrine he believed was essential for the survival of the Habsburg monarchy.12

Metternich feared a powerful Russia as much as a powerful France because he viewed both as potential threats to the independence and stability of the Austrian state. His strategic goal was to prevent any single nation from achieving hegemony on the continent. During the Napoleonic Wars, he sought to maintain a delicate equilibrium where France and Russia would act as counterweights to one another, allowing Austria and Prussia to exist as independent, secure entities between them.23

He distrusted the ambitions of the Russian emperor Alexander I and feared that if Napoleon’s power were completely annihilated, Europe would be left at the mercy of Russian dominance. Consequently, even while participating in the coalition against France, Metternich aimed to preserve a degree of French strength to ensure that Russia could not exert unchecked influence over European affairs.12