Top EU diplomat visits Russia amid 'turbulence' in bilateral relations

Thu Hoai• DNUM_AEZACZCACB 08:52

The trip comes amid heightened tensions between Russia and the European Union over the arrest of opposition figure Alexei Navalny.

European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Joseph Borell arrived in Moscow today and is expected to meet with Russian Foreign Minister Serguei Lavrov.

Mr. Joseph Borell. Photo It

The trip comes amid heightened tensions between Russia and the European Union over the arrest of opposition figure Alexei Navalny. It is also the first visit by the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice President of the European Commission to Russia since 2017.

But the visit, which is meant to ease tensions between Russia and the European Union, has been met with skepticism and even criticism. One European diplomat said it was not the right time. Some governments have urged Mr. Borrell to postpone the trip, while others want to give diplomacy a chance.

Alexei Navalny tại phiên tòa ở Nga ngày 2/2. Ảnh: Reuters. — *Alexei Navalny at a court hearing in Russia on February 2. Photo: Reuters.*

In the European Parliament, Estonian MEP and former Foreign Minister Urmas Paet reiterated that the ball is in Russia's court, highlighting a series of contentious issues between the two sides, from the controversy over the arrest of Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny to the annexation of the Crimean peninsula to the conflict in eastern Ukraine. According to MEP Urmas Paet, Mr. Joseph Borell needs to make a statement.clear position of the European Union.

This visit will also be one of the topics of discussion at the upcoming meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the 27 European Union member states when the foreign ministers discuss the possibility of sanctions against Russia./.

Thu Hoai