German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi called on Tuesday 25 May for European unity towards Russia.
The day before, at the dinner, the European leaders had discussed relations with this large neighbour. They will return to the subject in June, on the basis of a report to be prepared by the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, and the European Commission (see EUROPE 12725/2).
“It is necessary to increase the level of unity of Europeans towards Russia”, Draghi told reporters.
“We must respond together to Russia’s actions. It is also necessary to have a vision of how the EU wants to shape this relationship”, the Chancellor said. Merkel acknowledged that developing a common European policy towards Russia would be “already a lot” as member states are divided on this issue.
For French President Emmanuel Macron, “we are at a moment of truth in our relationship with Russia which must lead us to rethink the terms of the tension that we decide to install”. He explained that it was necessary to “hold the dialogue/requirements pair consistently”. “We need to reframe our relationship very deeply to define a short-, medium- and long-term strategy”, Mr Macron added, saying that the European security space required a “demanding” discussion with Russia.
Mr Draghi also emphasised the need to strengthen security, especially cyber security, saying that the level of Russian interference had become “alarming”.
Asked about the Nord Stream II pipeline, Merkel confirmed that there was a strong energy dependence on Russia. What was possible during the Cold War in energy relations should be possible today, she argued. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant with editorial staff)