The Kremlin said that the expulsion of European diplomats was the result of the actions of some foreign missions against the background of illegal actions, by expelling three EU diplomats, Russia has clearly demonstrated that it will not tolerate such actions as some European embassies have taken.
On Friday, the Russian Foreign Ministry reported that diplomats from Sweden, Poland and Germany who participated in uncoordinated actions in Russia have been declared persona non grata and will leave the country in the near future. We are talking about the diplomatic staff of the consulates general of Sweden and Poland in St. Petersburg and the German embassy in Moscow.
“The expulsion of diplomats, which took place the day before, was the result of the actions that some foreign missions in Moscow took against the background of illegal riots. The Russian side has clearly demonstrated that it does not intend to tolerate this”, – said the press secretary of the Russian President Dmitry Peskov, responding to the question is whether the Kremlin believes that the expulsion of diplomats could have influenced the assessment of the head of EU European diplomacy, Josep Borrell.
The head of the EU’s European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, stated in his blog following his visit to Moscow on February 4-6 that Russia is increasingly moving away from the European Union. According to Borrell, it is Russia that is gradually moving away from Europe, “perceiving democratic values as an existential threat”. Earlier in Moscow, Borrell said that there are areas in which the Russian Federation and the EU can and should cooperate, since in this case good results will be achieved, and Brussels, according to him, advocates dialogue with Moscow, despite the difficulties in relations. The Russian Foreign Ministry later noted that Borrell’s critical statements about Russia contrast with his speeches in Moscow, perhaps upon arrival in Brussels, he was “explained how it was necessary to place accents, but then this only confirms how and by whom the EU policy is actually formed”.