Russian ambassador to the EU lectured in Brussels
Vladimir Tchijov, representative of Russia in the European Union, in Brussels, April 25, 2018. AFP - EMMANUEL DUNAND
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2 min
After Moscow's decision to declare eight European personalities personæ non gratæ on Friday, after the conviction and imprisonment of Alexei Navalny, after the ballet of reciprocal expulsions of diplomats, the EU ended up officially summoning the Russian ambassador to Brussels to express the wrath of the Europeans to him.
The tone goes up a notch between the Union and Moscow.
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With our correspondent in Brussels,
Pierre Bénazet
The Europeans have repeated to Vladimir Tchijov, the Russian ambassador in Brussels, that they reserve the right to react to the actions of his government; this is the main message in the form of a warning that the EU sent during this convocation. It was never more than the word-for-word repetition of European threats of a reaction with “
appropriate measures
” that the Europeans had uttered on Friday following
the ban on entry into Russia decreed by Moscow
against eight European personalities.
The Union condemns this purely political decision without legal basis, such is the report of this convocation by the Europeans.
They also expressed their dissatisfaction with the expulsions of diplomats and their concern at the Russian decision to establish a list of "
unfriendly states
".
EU foreign ministers will look into the Russian dossier in a week's time, but so far the 27 have still not succeeded in defusing the tensions with the hints of cold war that are accumulating with Russia.
Their demands for the release of Alexei Navalny and then their sanctions only engendered hostility and reprisals from the Kremlin, a vicious circle that no one here sees the end of.
► Also read:
Russia: "Something changed during the assassination attempt on Alexeï Navalny"
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