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Russian Foreign Minister Sergey, Vladimir Putin’s top diplomat, denounced the EU in two media outlets – including one pointedly written in English. The attack on Brussels and US President Joe Biden came after French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel failed to convince all EU27 to participate in an EU-Russia summit.
Mr Lavrov wrote: “Without any false modesty, Washington and Brussels called themselves ‘an anchor for democracy, peace and security,’ as opposed to ‘authoritarianism in all its forms’.
“In particular, they proclaimed their intent to use sanctions to ‘support democracy across the globe’.
“European capitals immediately took heed of the Big Brother’s sentiment and picked up the tune with much gusto and relish.
“The gist of their statements is that they are ready to normalise their relations with Moscow, but only after it changes the way it behaves.
“It is as if a choir has been pre-arranged to sing along with the lead vocalist.
“There have been no unilateral concessions since the late 1990s and there never will be.
“If you want to work with us, recover lost profits and business reputations, let us sit down and agree on ways we can meet each other half way in order to find fair solutions and compromises.”
He concluded: “We will always remain open to honest dialogue with anyone who demonstrates a reciprocal readiness to find a balance of interests firmly rooted in international law.
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European Union leaders on Friday rejected a Franco-German proposal to hold a summit with Russia after Poland and Baltic countries said it would send the wrong message as East-West ties deteriorate.
Ms Merkel added: “The relationship between Russia and the European Union is really not good at the moment, but even during the Cold War, people talked to each other, so I think silence is not conducive to solving the problems.”
But she added that the EU leaders had identified issues they agreed they wanted to address with Russia and had tasked officials with looking at formats and conditions under which talks with Moscow could go ahead.
She said: “That means we took one step forward but we’re not at our goal yet.”
Beyond EU concerns about Russian influence in Belarus and Ukraine, Merkel listed disarmament, and the future of Syria and Libya as issues where the bloc could “sound out with the Russian president whether one can come to joint results.”
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