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In a blog post, the Spanish diplomat acknowledged that Russia’s behavior during his visit showed a reluctance to engage in a more constructive dialogue with the European Union.
“The aggressive press conference and the expulsion of three diplomats from the EU during my visit show that the Russian authorities did not want to take this opportunity to have a more constructive dialogue with the EU,” Borrell wrote.
Photo by Scanpix / Meeting of Sergei Lavrov and Joseph Borrell in Moscow
He admitted that he learned of the expulsion of three EU diplomats from Moscow from a meeting on social media with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in the end.
“As the EU, we will have to draw conclusions, carefully assess the direction in which to develop relations with Russia and act with unity and determination,” the diplomat said.
“We will discuss these issues with our fellow EU Foreign Ministers. As always, the next steps will have to be decided by the Member States and yes, this may include sanctions.” We have an additional tool in this regard thanks to the sanctions regime of recently adopted human rights by the EU, “said Borrell.
Borrell went to Moscow despite calls from Poland and the Baltics not to do so, as tensions escalated over the imprisonment of Kremlin critic A. Navaln.
The wave of criticism has increased further as a result of the visit. It was during this time that Moscow sent diplomats from Poland, Germany and Sweden, accusing them of participating in protests by Navaln supporters.
Borrell was also criticized for his behavior during a press conference with Lavrov when he criticized the United States when asked about Cuba by a Russian journalist, did not respond to Lavrov’s statements that the EU was an unreliable partner, and said that no country of the EU does. I am not proposing to impose sanctions on Russia.
Some time after the visit, Borrell still defended his strategy, saying that diplomatic channels should be open, but his stance over the weekend was severely criticized not only by political opponents but also by the European press.
“Nothing has been achieved, opportunities have not been seized, reputation has been shaken. Three diplomats have been lost, ”Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis wrote on Twitter.
Russia humiliated Borrel in Moscow.
“Russia has humiliated Borrell in Moscow,” reported the headline of the Brussels-based daily EUobserver.
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