Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielus Landsbergis called the visit to Moscow of the head of the European Union (EU) diplomacy Josep Borrel a humiliation for Europe. He stated this in an interview with the Polish newspaper Rzeczpospolita.
According to him, the only positive aspect in the meeting of the Brussels representative with Russian diplomats was the unity of the EU members regarding new sanctions against Moscow. “Not only Borrell was humiliated in Moscow, the European Union was humiliated,” Landsbergis stressed.
The minister added that Russia is increasingly humiliating European diplomats, but many of them do not understand this and believe in the possibility of influencing the Kremlin. At the same time, the Foreign Minister noted that relations between Europe and Russia have regularly undergone “ups and downs.” He admitted that after the aggravation of the situation there will be a lull.
Earlier, Borrell announced the separation of Russia from the European Union. He said that he came to this conclusion after a meeting with Lavrov and “a message from the Russian authorities during this visit.” In his opinion, Moscow does not want to use the opportunity for a more constructive dialogue. “This week I came to Moscow to check, through diplomacy, whether the Russian government is interested in resolving the differences. The reaction I received was clearly the opposite,” he said.
Borrell was on a visit to Russia from 4 to 6 February. At this time, he met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, as well as representatives of Russian public organizations.