Russia admits to abandoning cooperation projects with the European Union

The Russian government is considering whether to continue to cooperate with the European institutions if Brussels maintains the same position on Russia and Belarus, said the Kremlin’s chief of diplomacy.

“We are not thinking about how to deal with the problems (…) but in understanding whether it makes any sense to continue to deal with the European institutions, if they continue to act as they have been doing until now,” said Sergey Lavrov, in a press conference, after a meeting in Minsk with his Belarusian counterpart, Vladimir Makéi.

The Russian Foreign Minister, who will later meet with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, commented that the current relations between Moscow and Brussels are “complicated”.

“The reason is in a conduct that is not worthy of partners and that is often hostile, by several countries of the Union and with the endorsement of the whole community,” explained the head of Russian diplomacy.

According to Lavrov, many countries in the European Union fail to set aside “the arrogant habit of dealing with others (countries) through positions of strength (…) that limits the possibilities of reestablishing a dialogue based on mutual respect and equality of rights “.

Russia’s Foreign Minister noted that Brussels’ attitude towards the Eastern Partnership countries (a program through which Brussels cooperates with the former Soviet republics) does not treat them in the same way.