France, Germany drop plans for Russia summit after EU outcry

 

BRUSSELS, June 25 (Reuters) - European Union leaders did not agree on an offer with the aid of France and Germany to preserve a summit soon with Russian President Vladimir Putin after Poland and Baltic international locations saidit might send the incorrect message as East-West ties become worse.

After U.S. President Joe Biden met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Geneva on June 16, French President Emmanuel Macron said the primary EU summit with Putin due to the fact that January 2014 would be "a dialogue to protect our interests". He insisted the EU could not only be reactive in its diplomacy with Russia.

But after past due night talks at their meeting in Brussels, the 27 EU leaders did not reach an settlement, German Chancellor Angela Merkel stated early on Friday.

"It was a completely complete discussion, and not an smooth one," she told newshounds. "There changed into no settlement nowadays on a direct leaders' assembly," she said.

EU summits with Russia ended after Moscow annexed Ukraine's Crimea peninsula in March 2014 and the West imposed sanctions.

While Austria's Chancellor Sebastian Kurz stated he supported the Franco-German notion, many other leaders had been antagonistic.

"It changed into a not unusual position of many leaders" no longer to change the stance on Russia, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda stated after the assembly broke up. He in advance said the idea changed into like "looking to interact the undergo to preserve a pot of honey secure".

Latvia's Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins stated the EU risked worthwhile Russia with a summit despite the fact that diplomacy has didn't end the battle in jap Ukraine with Russian-subsidized separatists.

Instead, EU leaders fell returned to a familiar function of warning of extra sanctions on Moscow if it persevered what the EU says is a Russian coverage of disinformation, cyber and covert attacks and interference to try to divide the bloc.

Russia denies any wrongdoing.

In a summit statement, leaders known as at the European Commission and the EU's pinnacle diplomat Josep Borrell "to give options for additional restrictive measures, together with financial sanctions" against Russia.

The EU has sanctions at the Russian strength, economic and arms sectors and person sanctions on Russians accused of human rights abuses and for the use of banned chemical weapons.

Diplomats say in addition sanctions should target Russian money laundering or effective oligarchs suspected of serious corruption abroad, as non-EU member Britain did for the first time in April.