MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 08th February, 2021) The recent visit of EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell to Moscow was organized as a pretext for a new round of a sanctions war with Russia, Elena Panina, a member of the Russian lower house's foreign affairs committee, told Sputnik.
Borrell visited Moscow last week. During the visit, the top EU diplomat had a wide-ranging discussion on the EU-Russia relations and the global geopolitical landscape with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. The official also met with representatives of Russian civil society organizations. Prior to the visit, Borrell's press service also reported that EU officials maintained contact with lawyers of jailed Russian opposition activist Alexey Navalny in order to organize their meeting.
According to Panina, Brussels' claims that Borrell was carrying an "olive branch" that was allegedly rejected by Moscow are not true.
"In fact, it is obvious that the visit was originally conceived as a pretext for a new round of the sanctions war with Russia. This is in line with the demand to organize a meeting with Navalny that is a gross interference in the internal affairs of Russia," Panina said.
The lawmaker noted the contrast in statements made by Borrell in Moscow and upon his return to Brussels.
"Such behavior prescribes that there are fewer and fewer independent politicians in EU's governing structures, and the real center of decision-making is, like in the United States, a deep state hidden from the eyes, which, day by day, only strengthens the course of confrontation with Russia," she added.
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, the EU foreign policy chief said that although EU-Russian relations were far from satisfactory, diplomatic channels should remain open.
Borrell also did not rule out that during the upcoming meeting on February 22, EU foreign ministers may make a decision to expand sanctions against Russia in accordance with a new sanctions regime related to a violation of human rights.
