Humiliation, serious mistake, trap, failure, ill-prepared trip. These were the words used by several MEPs to describe the trip to Moscow last week by the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, during a debate in plenary session on Tuesday 9 February.
“You have fallen into the trap prepared [by Russia].(...) By undertaking this trip, you have strengthened the regime before the parliamentary election and removed the slightest hint of hope for the opposition”, denounced Anna Fotyga (ECR, Poland), considering that this trip was “a serious mistake”. Ms Fotyga is one of 81 MEPs who called for Mr Borrell’s resignation (http://bit.ly/2Nctqgw ).
On behalf of Renew Europe, Dacian Cioloș (Romania) also described the visit as a “mistake”, believing that it had a negative impact on the EU’s credibility in the diplomatic field. “It is important to keep diplomatic channels open, but an official visit to Russia in such a tense context sent the wrong diplomatic signal, and it was a failed symbolic act that backfired”, he told Mr Borrell.
Although “Moscow has abused this visit to humiliate and offend the EU”, Dutch Kati Piri (S&D) felt that Mr Borrell should not be blamed, wondering whether this would have happened if the EU had taken a firmer stance towards Russia.
Conversely, Thierry Mariani (ID, France) welcomed this “realistic and necessary move”.
New call for sanctions
Beyond the criticism, several MPs called for sanctions against Russia. “You have been humiliated. [...] Consequences must be drawn, cooperation with Putin must stop at all costs, sanctions must be considered, and Nord Stream 2 must be stopped”, summed up Sergey Lagodinsky (Greens/EFA, Germany).
“Europeans must act together and defend our values and interests. I call for a clear message of unity and determination from the Council”, stressed Michael Gahler (EPP, Germany). He called for the use of the sanctions regime on human rights violations against “every prosecutor who ordered the imprisonment of peaceful demonstrators” and against members of the regime and for real action to combat Russian money laundering in EU Member States.
Justifying again his visit once again, Mr Borrell announced that he would present Member States with “concrete proposals” on the way forward with Russia. The High Representative considered that the discussions at the Foreign Affairs Council on 22 February and then at the European Council on 25 and 26 March, “will provide guidance on the way forward, and it will be up to the Member States to decide on the next step, but, yes, this could include sanctions”. “Containment efforts should include a combination of vigorous action against disinformation, cyberattacks and other possible hybrid challenges”, he added. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)