EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell (L) and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov (R) are holding a joint press conference after their meeting in Moscow, Russia on February 5, 2021. (Photo by Russian Foreign Ministry / Handout) / Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs | Anadolu Agency | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images
LONDON – A recent press conference between the top EU diplomat and Russia’s veteran foreign minister has shown that diplomatic ties have plunged to a new low, prompting some analysts to question whether the ‘humiliating’ journey to could lead to further political consequences.
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell visited Moscow on Friday to express opposition to the EU’s arrest of Alexei Navalny, a fierce critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin. However, Borrell could not refute the comments of his Russian counterpart when he stood next to him at the press conference. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov claimed the EU was an “unreliable partner”.
In addition, during his visit via Twitter, Borrell learned that Russia had suspended three EU diplomats for attending demonstrations in support of Navalny.
“My meeting with Minister Lavrov emphasized that Europe and Russia are disappearing. It seems that Russia is gradually seceding from Europe,” Borrell said in a blog post two days after the press conference. He described it as “a very complicated visit to Moscow.”
“The EU does not have a proper Russia strategy.”
Jade McGlynn
Research Fellow, Henry Jackson Society
His controversial trip was so badly received that a group of 73 European lawmakers said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen “should act if Borrell does not resign on his own initiative.” In a joint letter, they said Borrell failed to “stand up for the interests and values of the European Union” during the visit, which seriously damaged the EU’s reputation.
EU – Russia ties have been strained for some time, but their ties are critical given their shared economic, energy and strategic interests.
Jade McGlynn, a research fellow at the Henry Jackson Society brainstorm, described the EU-Russia relationship as “cold flammable” following Borrell’s trip to Moscow. “The EU does not have a proper Russia strategy. There is no point in restoring Russia if Russia does not want it,” she said.
‘Very disappointing’ for US-EU ties
Both parties tried to improve their ties on, among other things, trade, energy, the fight against terrorism, among others before 2014. In this context, the EU supported Russia’s accession to the World Trade Organization, which was concluded in 2012.
However, the Russian annexation of Crimea in March 2014 was a turning point in their relationship. The EU opposed the move and consequently imposed sanctions on Russian individuals and businesses.
Their ties were further severed by Russia’s intervention in Syria’s protracted war and in other Middle East conflicts. In addition, several constitutional reforms in Russia have sparked concern among European officials, including one that allows Putin to remain in power outside his current mandate.
“Their relationship has always been challenging,” Ian Lesser, vice president of the German Marshall Fund of the United States, told CNBC, noting that ties are now only deteriorating in several areas. “
As a result, Lesser expects “more pressure on the Nord Stream (project), also from Washington DC”
Nord Stream 2 is a natural gas pipeline going from Russia to Germany and once completed, it will double the flow of energy sources between the two, according to Deutsche Welle.
The project has been sharply criticized, including by the United States, which has imposed sanctions on companies working on the pipeline – a view that the new US presidency does not intend to change overnight. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said Joe Biden’s government is against the project.
Some European lawmakers also believe that Nord Stream 2 should be discontinued as a result of Russia’s poisoning of Navalny. Before Navalny returned to Russia last month, he recovered in Germany after surviving in a close manner that had been independently confirmed as poisoning by a Novichok nerve agent since August. 20. The Kremlin denies poisoning Navalny.
“I can imagine it is very disappointing” for the US to observe Friday’s press conference in Moscow, McGlynn said by telephone. She added that the US is probably wondering “do we have a reliable partner who can stand up to Russia?”