No single visit and upbraiding by the EU’s representative was ever going to put that right, and the humiliation was clearly a deliberate Russian snub. Socialist Borrell is a convenient whipping boy, particularly for conservative MEPs who accused him of “appeasement” in failing publicly to challenge Russian putdowns. At a mid-session press conference, Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov accused EU leaders of lying about the poisoning of Navalny and called the union an “unreliable partner”. Putin’s spokesman said Moscow is “not going to tolerate” interference in its domestic affairs. While Germany and France, with strong economic ties with Moscow, are furious at Putin’s authoritarian drift and repeated pushing back of attempts at rapprochement, they favour closer engagement.

Source: The Irish Times February 10, 2021 18:56 UTC