The parties should sit down at the negotiating table, said the kingdom’s prime minister Alexander De Croo
The European Union and Russia should sit down at the negotiating table, as the community cannot limit relations with Russia by only sanctions and expulsion of diplomats. Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said this at a news conference on Friday following the first day of the EU summit in Brussels.
“We cannot limit our relations and approach to Russia to sanctions and expulsion of diplomats alone. At some point we have to sit down at the negotiating table”, – he said.
However, referring to the proposal by France and Germany to hold an EU-Russia summit, the Belgian prime minister said that a meeting between the leaders of the 27 countries and Russia “has to wait”.
“We must first define our priorities, our approach. But a meeting of the presidents of the European Commission and the European Council with Russia could be held”, – he explained.
The EU foreign policy service confirmed to TASS on Thursday that the possibility of a meeting between European Union heads of state and Russian President Vladimir Putin at the initiative of Germany and France would be discussed at the summit, but declined to comment on the initiative until the meeting was over. The press office of EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrel said that “the results of the strategic discussion on Russia at the EU summit should result in further recommendations on the implementation of the EU policy towards Russia.” Borrell himself later said on arrival at the summit that the possibility of a Russia-EU summit would be considered.
On the eve of the summit, the British newspaper Financial Times, citing diplomatic sources, reported that German Chancellor Angela Merkel proposed inviting Russian President Vladimir Putin to a meeting with EU leaders. According to the newspaper, the initiative was supported by French President Emmanuel Macron.