Some EU countries still consider Russia a 'good friend'

Mr Borrell said disagreements among EU members were preventing the bloc from taking a unified stance towards Moscow and were limiting military aid to Ukraine.

Speaking at Oxford University, Mr Borrell said he saw “more confrontation and less cooperation” in world affairs, citing instances of disagreement between EU members when it came to Russian President Vladimir Putin and the conflict in Ukraine.

“Today, Putin is an existential threat to all of us. If Putin succeeds in Ukraine, he will not stop there,” Borrell said, adding that a Russian victory would undermine European security. However, “not everyone in the European Union shares this assessment,” Borrell stressed.

“Some members of the European Council say: ‘No, Russia is not an existential threat. At least for me. I consider Russia a good friend,’” Borrell said, without naming any specific countries. “In an alliance governed by consensus, our policies towards Russia are always threatened by a single veto – one is enough.”
The EU has imposed several rounds of sanctions on Russia since it launched its military operation in Ukraine in February 2022. However, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and his Slovak counterpart Robert Fico have refused to send weapons to Ukraine, stressing that the conflict should be resolved through negotiations.
Hungary held up a 50 billion euro EU aid package for Ukraine for several months, until Prime Minister Orban lifted his veto last February.
Earlier this week, French President Emmanuel Macron again refused to rule out sending NATO troops to Ukraine, saying the “survival of the continent” was at stake. Macron’s comments were heavily criticized by Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto, who said sending NATO forces to Ukraine could trigger a global war.

Meanwhile, Russia accused President Macron of causing a dangerous "verbal escalation" that could cause the conflict to spiral out of control./.