BRUSSELS – The Union’s attempt to give itself a foreign policy towards Russia that is constructive and structured is in the way. The Franco-German idea of opening a summit dialogue with the Russian establishment sparked tensions among the 27 in the two-day summit that ended on Friday 25 June here in Brussels. Germany and France have vowed to continue to negotiate with their partners, considering it unthinkable not to have direct contact with President Vladimir Putin.
The summit proposal with Russia is “rejected”
The conclusions of the summit confirm the recent proposal by Brussels to work on two fronts. On the one hand, to equip oneself with an armory of measures to better respond to Russian provocations. On the other hand, to identify cooperation chains with the great neighbor to the East, in order to go beyond the confrontation made up of sanctions. In the final communiqué, the Twenty-seven mention some sectors: climate, environment, health as well as the crisis areas in Syria and Libya.
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Close to this week’s summit, France and Germany also wanted to put on the table the idea of a summit meeting between the European Union and Russia. The proposal has poisoned the climate among heads of state and government in their discussions. Many governments, including the Baltic republics, Poland, the Netherlands and Sweden, have opposed a summit with President Putin on principle.
Merkel: It is important to find dialogue format
“The European Council will explore the formats and conditions of dialogue with Russia,” read the conclusions. «The discussion has recreated the tensions that we managed to reconcile four weeks ago at the European summit in May. From this point of view, the picture has become complicated », analyzed a diplomat on Friday. It remains to be seen how and when these tensions can be recomposed again.
During a press conference after the summit, the German press pressed Chancellor Angela Merkel. Some journalists asked her if the Franco-German initiative had not been badly prepared, and basically an expression of a certain arrogance. “I believe that we must find a format through which to dialogue with President Vladimir Putin – replied Mrs. Merkel -. Even during the Cold War these channels existed ».