An official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry said that joint projects between Moscow and the European Union were blocked due to the actions of Brussels.
As reported by TASS, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova commented on the statement by Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg that Moscow does not show interest in dialogue with the EU. On Saturday, on her Facebook page, Zakharova said that joint projects between Russia and the European Union were blocked due to anti-Russian sanctions and the aggressive rhetoric of Brussels.
“It is not true. There were many political, humanitarian, economic projects in which Russia and the EU took part. But they were blocked after the adoption by Brussels of anti-Russian sanctions and the replacement of the dialogue with aggressive rhetoric, baseless accusations and disinformation campaigns”, – she wrote.
Earlier on Saturday, Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg, ahead of the EU summit on May 24, made an assertion that the European Union wants to establish a dialogue with Russia, but Moscow is not yet interested in this. He also said that Moscow and Brussels should cooperate in many areas, ranging from climate issues to energy. In addition, the minister expressed hope for a change in the tone in relations between the Russian Federation and the EU.