In Ahead of Biden’s meeting with Putin, the EU authorities agreed with the US on three main approaches to relations with Moscow. The head of the European Commission noted that Brussels would like more predictability from Moscow
Ursula von der Leyen and Joe BidenThe leaders of the European Union and the United States, following a joint summit in Brussels on June 15, determined a common approach to relations with Russia. They stated this at the final press conference.
According to the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, the EU and the United States are now united on this issue. “Relations between the European Union and Russia are now following a negative scenario. And we want to turn them into a more predictable relationship, ” she said.
According to von der Leyen, Brussels and Washington have formed three main principles of mutual relations. “Stop violations of international law, human rights. To resist Russia’s attempts to undermine our democracies, as well as to interact with Russia in areas where this is possible-in health care, contacts between hotel citizens, ” the head of the EC explained.
The head of the European Council, Charles Michel, said that before tomorrow’s meeting of Presidents Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin, he conveyed to the host of the White House “a signal of unity of the 27 EU countries, which discussed in detail the actions of Russia and condemned them”.
Michel stressed that Brussels and Washington have come to realize the need to help the states of the Eastern Partnership and the Western Balkans to preserve democratic institutions so that they can resist the pressure of totalitarian regimes.
On June 8, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Glushko said that relations between Moscow and Brussels have reached an impasse and the current situation does not allow them to move on.
“This is the zero point, which does not allow you to move forward. And the current state of affairs contradicts the deep interests of the Europeans themselves, ” the deputy Foreign minister noted.
Prior to this, the German and French authorities said that, despite “destabilizing behavior and repeated violations of international law” on the part of Russia, Berlin and Paris intend to maintain a dialogue with Moscow.
State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin said in late May that the EU authorities are trying to impose their own confrontational agenda on the United States before the upcoming Biden-Putin summit.