EU and Russia should rebuild relations – Brussels — Analysis

Rebuilding the relationship between the EU and Russia will be a “very difficult and lengthy process,” but it must be done, chief EU diplomat Josep Borrell wrote on his blog on Tuesday.

Until Brussels is able to “Reorganize” that relationship “To ensure peaceful coexistence, agree to security mechanisms and guarantees,” it will back Ukraine in the fight against Russia, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy continued.

Borrell then issued a precondition to such reorganization, declaring that “First, the Russian leadership needs to understand that it cannot afford its security at the cost of wider European and neighbor security.” Peace in Europe can only exist if Russia is “Respect for national sovereignty and territorial integrity,” he wrote, glossing over NATO’s own eastward expansion in violation of an agreement not to further approach Russia’s borders following the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Insisting that the EU, US, and NATO had “You should carefully respond to Russian proposals for treaties or letters,” Borrell argued that Europe had always been “All aspects of security are welcome to be discussed.” However, months of dialogue between the two sides failed to produce an agreement, with the US and its European allies unwilling to promise to exclude Ukraine from NATO prospects or provide other security guarantees with regard to stationing missiles in eastern Europe.

Borrell claimed that the EU is fighting the good fight to “Counter [the] false narratives” he believes are behind Russian support for the war, blaming Moscow for “launch[ing]An international propaganda offensive,” implying backing for the campaign at home would evaporate if Russians could just read European media.

The EU, however, issued a directive to search engines, social media platforms, and other media outlets to stop showing Russian media content or discussing its contents in Europe last month. It also required that European users only have access to views approved by Brussels.

Russia attacked the neighboring state in late February, following Ukraine’s failure to implement the terms of the Minsk agreements, first signed in 2014, and Moscow’s eventual recognition of the Donbass republics of Donetsk and Lugansk. Minsk Protocol, which was negotiated by France and Germany, gave the regions that had broken away special status in the Ukrainian government.

Since then, the Kremlin demanded Ukraine declare itself neutral and vow to never join NATO’s military bloc. Kiev claims that the Russian invasion was unprovoked. It also denies any plans to take the republics with force.