EU Chief’s Statements After Moscow Visit

The Russian Foreign Ministry said it was surprised by the statements made by Josep Borrell, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs, following his return from Moscow.

The statements, according to the ministry, are a contradiction to his remarks at the press conference back in Moscow during his visit to Russia.

Borrell visited Moscow between Jan. 4 and Jan. 6 and had a wide-ranging discussion on EU-Russia relations and the global geopolitical landscape with Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, and representatives of the civil society.

“Possibly, upon his arrival in Brussels, the EU foreign policy chief was told what kind of highlights he should make.

“But then this only proves who is actually behind EU policy,’’ a Russian foreign ministry spokesperson told journalists when asked about Borrell’s comments on social media.

Borrell said in a blog post after his return from Moscow that “Russia is progressively disconnecting itself from Europe and looking at democratic values as an existential threat’’.

However, when speaking in Moscow earlier, the EU foreign policy chief said that although EU-Russian relations were far from satisfactory, diplomatic channels should remain open.

“We reviewed Borrell’s assessments of the visit to Russia with surprise, they contrast strongly with his statements given at a press conference in Moscow,’’ a Russian foreign ministry representative told journalists while commenting on the remarks.

According to the Russian foreign ministry, Borrell was given an opportunity to give his assessment of the talks in Russia during the Moscow press conference and he used that opportunity.

“Nobody limited him either in time or format,’’ the ministry said.