Russia condemns EU for accepting Ukraine's membership bid; warns of 'negative consequence'

In the first response to the European Union’s (EU) momentous step of granting candidacy status to Ukraine and Moldova, Russia warned that the bloc’s decision would have negative consequences. According to Moscow, which waged war in Ukraine in late February, the step by the union amounted to the “enslaving” of the neighbouring countries. However, it is to note that it could take several years for Ukraine and Moldova to join the European bloc.

Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova termed the move as an attempt to encroach on Russia’s circle of influence within the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) which constitutes of ex-Soviet states. It is to note that the EU granted candidacy status to both former Soviet republics.

In a statement, the Russian foreign ministry spokesperson said, “With the decision to grant Ukraine and Moldova the status of candidate countries, the European Union has confirmed that it continues to actively exploit the CIS on a geopolitical level, to use it to ‘contain’ Russia”.

“They are not thinking of the negative consequences of such a step,” she added, according to The Guardian. According to Zakharova, the European Union was letting go of its democratic ideals at the cost of “unrestrained expansion and the political and economic enslavement of its neighbours.” Even though the West continues to condemn Russia for announcing the “special” military operation in Ukraine, Kremlin has said that it needed to send troops into Ukraine to safeguard its national security.

EU, NATO building coalition against Russia: Lavrov

Meanwhile, as Russian President Vladimir Putin’s government continues to hit back at the criticism from the West, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that the European Union (EU) and NATO are building a coalition against Moscow. During a press conference on Friday following the talks with Azerbaijani top diplomat Jeyhun Bayramov in Baku, Lavrov expressed that Russia doesn’t see any risks in Ukraine and Moldova getting EU’s candidacy status.

According to TASS, on the EU’s latest move, Lavrov said that “The EU is not a political bloc like the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. The development of its relations with any willing countries does not create threats or risks for us”.

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