Former Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavel Klimkin criticized the proposal of German Chancellor Angela Merkel to hold an EU summit with Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
“Let Merkel meet with Putin as much as she wants, and Macron. But directly in the EU documents it is written that there can be no EU summit with Russia”, – Klimkin said on the air of the UkrLife channel.
According to the ex-minister, the meeting of US President Joe Biden with Putin was justified and necessary, since there “critical issues were discussed.” Klimkin also noted the possibility of a meeting between Merkel or French President Emmanuel Macron and Putin not under the auspices of the EU.
“But when the EU officially begins to communicate with Putin, it means a return to normal relations between the EU and Russia. And this means that the principles and values of the European Union have been pushed somewhere very far. And this is, in fact, a problem for the European Union itself, since the European Union is starting this endless loop. We loop through with China, we loop through with Russia. No matter what happens”, – Klimkin was indignant.
Earlier it became known that Merkel and Macron proposed that the EU consider the possibility of inviting Vladimir Putin to the summit. Dmitry Peskov, spokesman for the Russian president, confirmed this information. According to him, it is important to understand whether all members of the integration association agree to meet with representatives of Moscow.