"If it is held on the initiative of the EU": why Moscow did not rule out the possibility of breaking off relations with Brussels

The Russian Foreign Ministry reported that Moscow is ready to break off relations with the European Union if it is initiated by the European side.

“We are ready for a break if it is initiated by the EU,” the ministry said.

Earlier, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov made a similar scenario on the air of the YouTube channel "Solovyov LIVE".

“I am convinced that we have now become completely self-sufficient in military terms.

We need to achieve the same situation in the economy in case we see again (as we have already felt more than once) that sanctions are imposed in some areas that create risks for our economy, including in the most sensitive areas (supplies of components, nodes).

We do not want to isolate ourselves from world life, but we must be ready for this, ”he said.

In turn, the press secretary of the Russian President Dmitry Peskov said that Lavrov's words were quoted out of context.

“This sensational headline is being presented by the media out of context, and this is a big mistake by the media, this is a mistake that changes the meaning.

The point is precisely that we do not want this, we want to develop relations with the European Union, but if the European Union follows this path, then yes, we will be ready, "Interfax quotes Peskov.

He stressed that the meaning of Lavrov's statement "was distorted and this sensational headline was presented in such a way that Russia would almost initiate a break in relations with the European Union itself."

Sanction turn

Recall that on February 9, the head of EU diplomacy, Josep Borrell, at a session of the European Parliament, told the MPs that at the upcoming meeting of the foreign ministers of the EU countries, he would propose new sanctions against Russia.

“We will discuss this issue on February 22 at a meeting of the Council of EU Foreign Ministers, and then in March at a Council of Europe summit.

Decisions will be made on further actions, and the next step, which may include sanctions, will be determined by the member states of the union.

I will make concrete proposals, using my right of initiative as the high representative for foreign and security policy, ”Borrell said addressing the MEPs.   

• EU Foreign Minister Josep Borrell

• AFP

• © Olivier HOSLET / POOL

Earlier, from 4 to 6 February, Borrell was on a visit to Moscow, during which he met with Sergei Lavrov.

At a joint press conference following the meeting, the head of European diplomacy noted that, despite the differences, Russia and the EU should look for areas for cooperation.

He also recalled that the European Union is Russia's largest trading partner and a source of foreign direct investment for the Russian Federation.

However, after returning home, Borrell wrote on his blog that the Russian authorities did not use his visit as an opportunity to establish a more constructive dialogue with the EU.

This was allegedly evidenced by an "aggressive" press conference, as he himself put it, as well as the expulsion of three European diplomats from Russia during his visit.

Recall that on February 5, the Russian Foreign Ministry declared diplomats from Germany, Poland and Sweden persona non grata because of their participation in unauthorized actions.

It is worth noting that Josep Borrell announced his intention to propose new sanctions against Moscow after members of the European Parliament criticized him for his visit to Russia.

More than 80 deputies signed a letter addressed to the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, calling for Borrell's dismissal.

“Borrell's erroneous decision to proactively visit Moscow, as well as his inability to stand up for the interests and values ​​of the European Union during this visit, have caused serious damage to the reputation of the EU.

We believe that the President of the European Commission should take action if Borrell does not resign of his own free will, ”Politico quoted the text of the message.

Questionable effectiveness

However, in the European Union itself, politicians at various levels have repeatedly stated that sanctions against Russia harm European countries no less than Moscow, and that their effectiveness is questionable.

In particular, the Prime Minister of Slovakia Peter Pellegrini said in October 2018 that the volume of the country's exports and trade with the Russian Federation more than halved from 2013 to 2016.

Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Siyjarto noted in 2019 that the country lost about $ 7 billion due to export restrictions that appeared after the introduction of European sanctions against Russia.

In turn, the Minister of Economy and Energy of the Federal Republic of Germany Peter Altmeier stressed in February 2019 that Germany is not interested in the sanctions that are now in force against Moscow.

• European Parliament

• globallookpress.com

• © Michael Kappeler / dpa

Italy has also repeatedly noted the unacceptability of the sanctions, which are suffering Italian companies.

In 2019, the Association of Italian Agricultural Producers Coldiretti reported that the country's agricultural export losses from Russian restrictions in response to European sanctions exceeded € 1 billion. In addition, Giuseppe Conte, who served as Prime Minister of Italy since June 2018, said that the Italian side is working to lift anti-Russian sanctions.

In February 2020, at the Munich Security Conference, the same position was voiced by French President Emmanuel Macron, who admitted that anti-Russian sanctions did not have any positive effect on Europe.

As the general director of the Center for Political Information Alexei Mukhin noted in an interview with RT, in the current situation, the initiator of the conflict was not the EU countries, which had not yet proposed any sanctions, but Brussels and specifically Josep Borrell, who decided to sharply react to the visit to Russia that he did not like.

“In this case, Borrell did everything to make the Russian side surprised and perceive the purpose of his visit as hostile.

In addition, having left the territory of Russia, the President of the European Parliament, on behalf of Brussels, allowed himself quite aggressive statements about Russia and its leadership, "the political scientist noted.

According to Alexei Mukhin, it is not surprising that such actions prompted the Russian Foreign Minister to remind that Russia is a sovereign state.

“Moreover, the Russian leadership at this stage has demonstrated upward friendliness, despite the general negative background formed by the European Parliament, the European Commission and other structures in relation to Russia, and absolutely unreasonably, under far-fetched pretexts.

As a result, Sergei Lavrov made a rather harsh unofficial statement.

And I must say that it was perceived with understanding in the expert community, ”added the analyst.

In turn, Alexander Kamkin, a leading researcher at the Center for German Studies at the Institute of Europe of the Russian Academy of Sciences, noted that restrictive measures against Russia clearly harm the EU countries themselves.

“These sanctions are mostly political in nature, image-building, but they also bring practical harm to both sides: they create certain financial difficulties not only for Russian organizations.

Many German companies that have actively worked with the Russian Federation until 2014 complain about these sanctions, ”the expert said.

Alexander Kamkin also noted the ambiguous position of the EU, which first introduces restrictions against Russia, creates the most unfavorable conditions, and after that declares the need for dialogue with Moscow.

“Dialogue is successful when it is built on the principles of mutual respect, respect for mutual sovereignty and mutual interests.

But when a political agenda is imposed on Russia, which initially puts it at a disadvantage, then this is no longer a dialogue, but a twisting of hands, ”the political scientist said.

However, it is unlikely that it will come to a complete break in relations between Russia and the European Union, Kamkin said.

"But in the case of the introduction of another package of sanctions or some other measures unfriendly to Russia, there will be either a mirror or a synchronous response from the Russian Federation," the expert explained.

In turn, Alexei Mukhin called the EU's policy towards Moscow dependent.

“The EU policy towards Russia is stupid and testifies to non-sovereign behavior, because in fact all of it is aimed at destroying structures, political and economic ties within Europe under external pressure from the United States.

I don’t remember a more or less intelligible claim that the EU would have formulated independently, apart from stupid accusations of human rights violations or restrictions on freedoms, ”the expert concluded.