[ad_1]
Russia announced on Friday that it would send German, Polish and Swedish diplomats to “participate in illegal demonstrations” in Moscow and St. Petersburg during a meeting between Borrell and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow at the time.
According to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, the declaration of three foreign diplomats as undesirable “was the result of the actions of some diplomatic missions in Moscow in the context of illegal disturbances.”
He added that Russia “has made it clear that it does not intend to tolerate this.”
During two consecutive weekends in January, tens of thousands of Russians protested against the government of President Vladimir Putin and demanded the release of opposition leader Alexei Navalna, the best known critic of President Putin, who was sentenced to almost three years in prison the last week. .
Borrell said he learned of the decision to expel diplomats during a meeting with Lavrov and strongly condemned the decision.
Borrell initially said there were no urgent plans to impose new sanctions on Russia, but after visiting Moscow, the politician changed his position, saying that Russia was rejecting a constructive dialogue with the EU and Europe to “draw conclusions”, including possible new sanctions. .
“Russia has been and remains interested in reviving relations between Moscow and Brussels,” Peskov said on Monday.
Earlier on Monday, a spokesman for the country’s Foreign Ministry told Russian news agencies that Russia was “shocked” to learn of Borrell’s comments as they were “significantly different” from his remarks at a press conference. in Moscow.
Sergei Lavrov, Joseph Borrell
Itar-Tass / Scanpix
Borrell pressed the tone
European Union diplomacy chief Borrell, who was criticized for his visit to Russia, changed his tune on Sunday night and announced a tougher stance on Moscow, alluding to possible sanctions.
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 aggressively organized 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.
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 human rights recently adopted by the EU, “said Mr Borrell.
Borrell traveled to Moscow despite calls from Poland and the Baltic countries not to do so, amid mounting tensions 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 has humiliated Borrell in Moscow,” reported the headline of the Brussels-based daily EUobserver.
No part of this publication may be reproduced without the written permission of ELTA.
[ad_2]
