Josep Borrell, the European Union’s top diplomat, is facing a chorus of calls for resignation after his unsanctioned trip to Moscow, which European Parliament members called “humiliating” and “a disaster.”
Borrell had said he wanted to engage with Russia, secure opposition leader Alexei Navalny’s release from prison and raise the issue of Ukraine’s territorial integrity. Instead, many believe Borrell just made the EU look weak and foolish while achieving none of his goals.
He failed to raise some of his intended issues, got the cold shoulder from Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, praised Russia’s Sputnik vaccine and attacked the United States, EU’s ally, over its embargo of Cuba.
Adding insult to injury, during his meeting with Lavrov, Borrell discovered that Russia was kicking out the diplomats of Germany, Poland and Sweden for allegedly attending pro-Navalny protests.
European Parliament members sent a letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, calling for Borrell’s dismissal. The letter said that Borrell “repeatedly failed to defend the European Union’s interests” and “falsely stated that there was no talk of EU sanctions” concerning Navalny’s imprisonment.
“In addition to the aforementioned transgressions, Mr. Borrell failed to mention Russia’s ongoing war in east Ukraine,” the letter added.
In a Twitter statement, Borrell wrote that he “insisted in our discussion on the need for the full implementation of the Minsk agreement and respect for Ukraine’s territorial integrity.”
In a longer entry on his blog, he stated that Russia and the EU are “at a crossroads.”
“My meeting with Minister Lavrov highlighted that Europe and Russia are drifting apart”, Borrell wrote.
The three-day trip culminated with a Feb. 5 press conference, during which Borrell said that the EU was deeply concerned about Navalny’s case, called for his immediate release and for the launch of an investigation over his poisoning.
At the same time, Borrell said: “Certainly our relations are on severe strain and Navalny case is a low point in our relations.” He went on: “But despite our differences, to build a wall of silence is not an option.”
Lavrov rejected all allegations and called the EU an “unreliable partner.”
“We are used to the fact that the EU, as I have already mentioned, is increasingly resorting to unilateral restrictions that have no legitimate basis”, Lavrov said.
After finding out about Russia expelling the three EU diplomats, Borrell wrote on Twitter that he “strongly condemned this decision” and “rejected allegations that they conducted activities incompatible with their status as foreign diplomats.”
Moreover, despite insisting that he discussed Ukraine, Borrell only mentioned this after the Feb. 5 press conference.
Experts and observers gave the diplomat scathing reviews.
According to news publication EUobserver, Borrell had asked to meet Russia’s deputy prime minister and a high-ranking security official before going on his trip but Russia rejected his proposal. Diplomatic sources told EUobserver that the diplomat should have read the sign and canceled his trip.
Anders Aslund, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, wondered on Twitter why Borrell didn’t mention Ukraine, Crimea or Donbas at the press conference in Moscow.
Christian Trippe, head of Deutsche Welle’s Eastern Europe department, wrote in his opinion article that “Borrell came across as a cornered, ill-prepared schoolboy.”
“Lavrov is notorious for not giving his negotiating partners an inch, but this time he even managed to rob Borrell of his political dignity,” Trippe added.
Meanwhile, the EU exposed its internal divisions over Russia concerning Nord Stream 2, Russia’s controversial gas pipeline to Germany under the Baltic Sea.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron announced that they had reached a decision to let Russia finish building the pipeline, in spite of strong opposition from some other EU member states and the U.S.
