Josep Borrell says Russia 'does not want' constructive dialogue with Europe

European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell on February 8 said that Russia is rejecting constructive dialogue with the bloc and that Europe must draw the consequences. In a statement on Twitter, Borrell said that his visit to Moscow highlighted that Russia does not want to seize the opportunity to have more constructive dialogue. He further called it “regrettable” and added that the EU and Russia were “drifting apart” after a complicated visit which saw the expulsion of the three EU diplomats over allegations from Moscow that they had attended protests. 

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Further, in a blog post, the top EU diplomat also said that the relations between Europe and Russia had been low for a number of years and had deteriorated even further since Navalny was poisoned in an attack the opposition leader has blamed on the Russian state. He added that it seems that Russia is “progressively disconnecting” itself from Europe and looking at democratic values as an existential threat. He went on to defend his visit arguing that criticising Russia from a distance will not bring greater security to the European Union. 

“At times, the discussion with my Russian counterpart reached high levels of tension, as I called for Mr. Navalny’s immediate and unconditional release, as well as for a full and impartial investigation into his assassination attempt,” he said

“We have to face challenges, including meeting others in their home turf, just when negative events are unfolding. If we want a safer world for tomorrow, we have to act decidedly today and be ready to take some risks,” Borrell added. 

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Borrell to debrief EU members on Feb 22 

Borrell will debrief his trip to foreign ministers from the EU member states on February 22 and the EU leaders will discuss their strained ties with Moscow at a summit in March. The decision to impose sanctions must be decided unanimously after a proposal from member states.

Meanwhile, it is worth noting that while both the European Union and Russian Federation share several contracts on trade, politics, personal data protection and implementation of JCPOA, their ties have been severed since 2014. Primary causes include Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea, support for rebel groups in eastern Ukraine, policies in the neighbourhood, disinformation campaigns and negative internal developments. Putin administration’s intervention in Syria, Libya and sub-Saharan Africa have also irked the bloc promoting it renew several sanctions against Moscow.

READ: Russia Suspends European Diplomats For Participating In Rally Seeking Navalny's Release

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