Russia is preparing for a split with the European Union as the EU imposes new crippling sanctions amid a dispute over the treatment of opposition leader Alexei Navalny, the country’s top diplomat warned.
Asked about Moscow’s willingness to sever ties with the EU, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in television remarks that Russia did not want to be isolated, but that he should be self-sufficient in potential EU. to face sanctions.
“We do not want to be isolated from international life, but we must be ready for it,” Lavrov said. “If you want peace, you must prepare yourself for war.”
In this photo taken on Friday, February 12, 2021 and provided by the Babuskinsky District Court, Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny is standing in a cage during a hearing on charges of libel in the Babuskinsky District Court in Moscow, Russia. (Babuskinsky District Court Press Service via AP)
Asked if Russia is heading for a split with the European Union, Lavrov said: “We are assuming we are ready for that.”
He stressed the importance of economic ties with the 27 EU countries, adding that Russia would continue to cooperate on both benefits. At the same time, Lavrov said, Russia must prepare for the worst and increasingly rely on its own resources.
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“We need to achieve this in the economic sphere, when we see again, as we have felt more than once, that sanctions imposed in some areas create risks for our economy, even in the most sensitive areas, such as the supply of spare parts. and components, ‘the Russian foreign minister added.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stressed that Russia wants to maintain normal ties with the EU, but that it must prepare for the worst if the bloc takes hostile action.
In this photo released by the Russian press service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov speaks at a meeting on Wednesday, February 10, 2021 in Moscow, Russia.
“If we are facing a destructive course that will harm our infrastructure, our interests, Russia must be prepared in advance for such unfriendly steps,” Peskov said in a call to reporters when asked about Lavrov’s comments. . “We must be self-sufficient. We must ensure our security in the most sensitive strategic areas and be prepared to replace everything we may be deprived of with national infrastructure if madness occurs and such unfriendly actions take place.”
European Commission spokesman Peter Stano said on Friday that the EU welcomed ‘mutually beneficial co-operation when the other side is ready for such co-operation and dialogue’, adding that Russia ‘indicated that it was not really willing to go in this direction ‘.
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Andrea Sasse, spokesman for the German Foreign Ministry, described Lavrov’s remarks as ‘really disturbing and completely incomprehensible to us’. She told reporters in Berlin that Foreign Minister Heiko Maas had clarified Germany’s grievances with Russia, but also stressed that “we are interested in cooperating with Russia.”
Relations between Russia and the EU have reached a new low over Navalny’s arrest and imprisonment. The main political enemy of Russian President Vladimir Putin was arrested on January 17 on his return from Germany, where he spent five months recovering from the poisoning of the nerve agent he blamed on the Kremlin. Russian authorities have denied the allegations.
In this photo released by the Russian Foreign Ministry press service, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell greet with a face mask to protect against coronavirus, each other before their conversations. in Moscow, Russia, Friday, February 5, 2021. (Press service of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs via AP)
Last week, a Moscow court sent Navalny to prison for two years and eight months for violating the terms of his probation while he was recovering in Germany. The trial period stems from a 2014 conviction for embezzlement that Navalny rejected as fabricated and that the European Court of Human Rights ruled illegal.
Navalny was back in court on Friday on charges of defaming a World War II veteran, who appeared in a video last year advertising constitutional amendments that made it possible to expand Putin’s government. Navalny called the people in the video ‘corrupt stooges’, ‘people without conscience’ and ‘traitors’. He dismissed the defamation charges as part of the Kremlin’s attempts to disrespect him and could face a fine or community service if convicted.
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Josep Borrell, head of the European Union’s foreign policy chief, said after the visit to Russia last week that the bloc of 27 countries should take a firm stance in its relations with Russia and consider new sanctions after Navalny’s imprisonment. While Borrell met with Lavrov, Moscow announced that diplomats from Germany, Poland and Sweden were being expelled for protests in support of Navalny.
The three EU countries responded in kind on Monday, each expelling a Russian diplomat.
In this photo, released by the Russian Foreign Ministry, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, on the left, welcomes EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell to attend a joint news conference. after their talks in Moscow, Russia, Friday. , February 5, 2021. (Russian Foreign Ministry press service via AP)
Borrell said he intends to submit proposals for possible action against Russia when he chairs the next Foreign Minister meeting on February 22.
Navalny’s arrest sparked a spate of protests across Russia that drew tens of thousands of people to the streets during the biggest discontent in years. Authorities responded with widespread repression, detaining about 11,000 people across Russia. Many protesters were fined or sentenced to prison terms ranging from seven to 15 days.
The United States and the European Union have urged Russia to release Navalny and put an end to the protests. The Kremlin has accused them of interfering in Russia’s internal affairs and said it would not listen to Western criticism of Navalny’s sentencing and police action against its supporters.
Lavrov accused the West of pursuing the “aggressive restriction of Russia” to punish the country for its independent foreign policy.
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“The sanctions would not bring any result. It would not change our course of defending our national interests,” Lavrov said.