Skaisgirytė: After Borrell’s visit, we all felt humiliated

On the other hand, the president’s foreign policy adviser hopes that such a “diplomatic slap” will encourage EU countries to extend sanctions on the Kremlin regime in March.

ELTA recalls that Borrell went to Moscow after the escalation of tensions over the imprisonment of Russian opponent Alexei Navaln, despite calls from both Poland and the Baltic countries for the EU representative not to do so.

“Not only did the visit fail to produce the expected results, it also produced very negative results, as it was during the visit that Russia ordered three EU diplomats to leave Russia. In diplomatic language, this is a slap that occurred during The visit. As a result, we all feel somewhat humiliated, “A. Skaisgirytė told Knowledge Radio.

However, he continued, this move by Russia may become the reason why states that have so far thought that dialogue with the Kremlin is possible will abandon such illusions.

“Apparently, for those who still imagined that they should talk to Russia in some diplomatic way, it became clear what linguistic methods existed. I think that when the leaders discuss Russia in March, of course, then the human rights situation and the situation in Navaln, it will be easier to make the decisions that Lithuania has set out to make since Navalno’s arrest and imprisonment. “Hee.

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.

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. .