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At a summit of EU diplomats last Tuesday, ambassadors from Romania, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and Poland warned that the meeting would be an opportunity for Russia to spread propaganda, according to a transcript of the discussion, read by Bloomberg.
Germany, France and the majority of EU members welcome Borrell’s visit as an opportunity to send a message to Moscow on the EU’s position on human rights and show support for Russian civil society.
According to two acquaintances, the EU High Representative for Foreign Policy Borrell will officially announce the planned visit in February. It is true that because the date of the pandemic is still being negotiated, a final decision has not been made.
Borrell’s office wrote to the Baltic foreign ministers that it was outraged by his decision to post a message on Twitter encouraging him to postpone his visit and report it. Borrell’s team said the Baltic disagreement would go unheeded.
Given the complexity of the case, Borrell wants to inform Russian politicians about the EU provisions himself.
This behind-the-scenes case of EU foreign policy shows that the 27 members of the bloc have very different views on how to respond to Navaln’s arrest in Russia. Russia does not pay much attention to the western condemnation and denies having poisoned A. Navalna.
A Borrell spokesman said the commission would not comment on the private interview.
Josepas Borrell
2017 visit
If the visit were to take place, it would be the first after a three-year hiatus in 2017. The then EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Federica Mogherini, visited Moscow and met with Lavrov.
44 m. Navalna was arrested last Sunday at Moscow airport as soon as he returned from Germany, where he was being treated for a nerve paralyzing substance after poisoning. He was held in pre-trial detention for 30 days during a simplified trial at a Moscow police station. The court claimed that he had violated the conditions of probation in light of an earlier criminal case that many consider fabricated and politically motivated.
Last Tuesday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia would not respond to requests to release Navalna because it was an internal legal problem.
So far, Europe has been pointing the finger at Russia and past sanctions have not hampered Vladimir Putin’s political decisions. To impose more sanctions, the EU countries must stand together, and the situation of the former communist states is particularly delicate, given their history and their close geographical location with Russia.
Diplomats were told at the meeting that Navaln’s arrest was not an isolated incident, it should be seen in the broader context in which Russia seeks to restrict independent politicians in the run-up to parliamentary elections.
In a letter to the EU’s foreign ministers on January 18, Borrell condemned Navaln’s arrest, but did not mention any criminal measures. EU foreign ministers and bloc leaders are expected to discuss Navaln’s arrest and future relations with Russia in meetings in February and March.
According to preliminary information, after last Tuesday’s meeting, eight EU members (including Denmark and Italy) are willing to support the sanctions, while others are determined to consider more diplomatic measures.
A Central European ambassador suggested setting a date for Navaln’s release and agreeing on the EU’s response if Russia disagreed. And the German representative suggests not discussing the sanctions until it is clear how the Navaln case will play out.
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