The head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, assessed the relations between the European Union and Russia as one of the most difficult. His statements are posted on the European External Action Service website.
Borrell noted that the latest events on the bilateral agenda only confirm the need for his visit to Russia, scheduled for February 4. “But apart from controversial issues, there are also areas in which the EU and Russia do cooperate and in which they should cooperate even more. They require our urgent attention,” the diplomat said.
Earlier, the Russian Foreign Ministry stated that in 2020 there was a serious decline in relations between Moscow and Brussels. The department doubted the possibility of further cooperation with the European Union due to the actions taken by the union in connection with the case of Alexei Navalny.
Before that, MEPs voted for a resolution calling for the immediate blocking of the construction of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline due to the arrest of Navalny. However, during a meeting of the Council of EU Foreign Ministers last week, the countries did not offer specific options for new anti-Russian sanctions.
The detention of Navalny at the Sheremetyevo airport became known on Sunday, January 17. This happened on the basis of the decision of the head of the Federal Penitentiary Service in Moscow, according to which the oppositionist was put on the wanted list for systematic violations of the conditions of the probationary period. On January 18, he was arrested for 30 days. Before his arrest, he was in Berlin, where he was taken on August 22, 2020. Two days earlier, during the flight from Tomsk to Moscow, Navalny felt unwell, the plane was urgently landed in Omsk.