EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell (L) and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov (R), give a joint press conference after their meeting in Moscow, Russia, on February 5, 2021. (Photo by the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs / brochure / Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs | Anadolu Agency | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images
LONDON – A recent press conference between the EU’s top diplomat and Russia’s veteran foreign minister demonstrated that diplomatic ties have dropped to a new level, leading some analysts to question whether the “humiliating” trip could lead to other political consequences.
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell visited Moscow on Friday to express EU opposition to the arrest of Alexei Navalny, a fierce critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin. However, Borrell failed to reject the comments of his Russian counterpart when she stood by him at the press conference. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the EU was an “unreliable partner”.
In addition, Borrell learned on Twitter during his visit that Russia expelled three EU diplomats for attending demonstrations in support of Navalny.
“My meeting with Minister Lavrov highlighted that Europe and Russia are distancing themselves. It seems that Russia is progressively disconnecting from Europe,” Borrell said in a blog two days after the news conference. He described it as “a very complicated visit to Moscow”.
“The EU does not have an adequate strategy for Russia.”
Jade McGlynn
research fellow, Henry Jackson Society
His controversial trip was so poorly received that a group of 73 European lawmakers said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen “should act if Borrell does not resign on her own initiative”. In a joint letter, they said Borrell failed “to defend the European Union’s interests and values during his visit”, which caused “serious damage to the EU’s reputation”.
Ties between the EU and Russia have been fragile for some time, but their ties are critical, given their common economic, energy and strategic interests.
Jade McGlynn, a researcher at the Henry Jackson Society study center, described the EU-Russia relationship as “cold and flammable” after Borrell’s trip to Moscow. “The EU does not have an adequate strategy for Russia. There is no point in restarting when Russia does not want it,” she said.
‘Very disappointing’ for US-EU ties
Both sides tried to improve their trade, energy, counterterrorism ties, among others, before 2014. In this context, the EU supported Russia’s accession to the World Trade Organization, completed in 2012.
However, Russia’s annexation of Crimea in March 2014 was a turning point in their relationship. The EU opposed the measure and imposed sanctions on Russian individuals and companies as a result.
Their ties were further eroded by Russia’s intervention in the long Syrian war and other conflicts in the Middle East. In addition, several constitutional reforms in Russia have also raised concerns among European authorities, including one that allows Putin to remain in power beyond his current mandate.
“Their relationship has always been challenging,” Ian Lesser, vice president of the German Marshall Fund in the United States, told CNBC, noting that now the ties are only “deteriorating on several fronts.”
As a result, Lesser expects “more pressure on Nord Stream (project), including from Washington DC”
Nord Stream 2 is a natural gas pipeline that runs from Russia to Germany and, once completed, would double the flow of energy resources between the two, according to Deutsche Welle.
The project was severely criticized, including by the United States, which imposed sanctions on companies working on the pipeline – a stance that the new US presidency has no intention of changing overnight. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that Joe Biden’s administration is against the bill.
Some European lawmakers are also of the opinion that Nord Stream 2 should be stopped in response to Russia’s Navalny poisoning. Before returning to Russia last month, Navalny was recovering in Germany, after narrowly surviving what was independently confirmed as Novichok nerve poisoning in August. 20. The Kremlin denies Navalny’s poisoning.
“I can imagine that it is very disappointing” for the United States to watch Friday’s press conference in Moscow, McGlynn said by telephone. She added that the United States is probably asking itself “do we have a reliable partner who can stand up to Russia?”