Foreign Minister Lavrov, on the other hand, compared the EU and NATO’s formation of an anti-Russia alliance to the situation before the Second World War.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, “These are internal European issues. It is very important that all these processes do not cause further problems for us and that these countries do not create problems in their relations with us.” On Moscow’s relations with the EU, Peskov said, “It is very difficult to deteriorate further.”
Following the recommendation of the EU Commission, EU leaders approved the official candidacy status of the two countries at the summit held in Brussels yesterday.
World War II analogy by Lavrov
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov also gave similar messages in his statement today, stating that unlike NATO, the EU is not a military alliance, therefore the candidacy of Ukraine and Moldova does not pose a risk for Russia.
Lavrov harshly criticized the EU and NATO’s policies towards Russia, referring to the Second World War. Comparing the EU and NATO to the Axis Powers of the time and accusing them of wanting a war against Russia, Lavrov said, “Under this banner, Hitler gathered a large part of the European countries to fight against the Soviet Union. Now the EU and NATO collide, in a broader sense Russia’s. “It brings together this kind of modern coalition to wage a war against the United States. We are following it closely,” he said.
Russia attempted to invade its neighbor Ukraine on February 24 and faced harsh sanctions from Western countries.
He added that he “does not think that the anti-Russian structure in the EU will disintegrate or change in the foreseeable future”.
AFP,dpa/BK,TY