There are practically no diplomatic relations left between the European Union and Russia. The corresponding opinion was expressed on Friday, February 19 by the head of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Sergei Lavrov.
In an interview with RBC TV, Lavrov recalled the scandalous statement made by European Commissioner Josep Borrell in May 2019. The then Spanish foreign minister, the current head of European diplomacy, expressed the opinion that Russia is an old enemy of the EU, and that it “is again asserting itself and again posing a threat.” The Russian Foreign Ministry, through the protocol service, decided to clarify the words of Borrell, to which the EU said that the official was “misunderstood”.
In general, according to Lavrov, the development of relations is hampered by the prejudice of Europeans. “But the mentality has broken through. We are perceived as a stranger. When I gave an interview to Soloviev, when he asked if we were ready to break off relations with the European Union, he answered in the affirmative, because there were no more relations left. As former US President Obama once said, however, about the Russian economy, relations have been torn to shreds, ”the Russian minister added.
According to him, many mechanisms of interaction between the Kremlin and Brussels, such as the Partnership and Cooperation Council, have already been destroyed.
Last week, during an interview with Vladimir Solovyov, Lavrov said that Russia was ready to break off relations with the European Union. The next day, Russian presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov partially disavowed the minister’s words, saying that Moscow would not initiate such a step, but was ready to end relations if Brussels took the appropriate steps.
The EU diplomatic service declined to comment on Lavrov’s statements, limiting itself to stating that they took into account both the statement of the Russian minister and the explanations of the Kremlin.
