Strasbourg, 17 April 2018

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Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management, Christos Stylianides, on behalf of the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the European Commission, Federica Mogherini

Yesterday, the Foreign Affairs Council discussed the challenges that we are facing in our relations with Russia. The Foreign Ministers shared a common assessment of the challenges faced in the European Union’s relations with Russia. We have seen an evolving pattern of challenging Russian behaviour in many different fields.

Central to these challenges is, of course, the situation in Ukraine, where Russia’s illegal annexation of the Crimean peninsula and at the same time the destabilisation of eastern Ukraine continue to this day. Other areas of challenging Russian behaviour obviously include the Russian posture in Syria, which you discussed earlier today, but also the issue of disinformation and interference, hybrid threats, malicious cyber activities, and military posturing. The space for independent political voices and civil society in Russia is shrinking, and respect for human rights and the rule of law is waning. At the same time, Russia is our neighbour and an international actor that we must deal with and talk to, not least as a permanent member of the UN Security Council.

Yesterday, the Foreign Affairs Council reaffirmed that the five guiding principles agreed two years ago continue to be the most balanced, dynamic and effective framework for managing our relations with Russia in the current circumstances.

Firstly, the full implementation of the Minsk agreements remains a key element for any substantial change in EU-Russia relations. We will continue to support the work of the Normandy format. Yesterday the Foreign Affairs Council looked at ways in which the European Union can help more to work for the full implementation of the Minsk agreements. This includes action at the political level, as well as concrete humanitarian action on demining and the preparations for reconstruction in Donbas, all within the UN framework when the time comes.

Secondly, we will continue to strengthen relations with our eastern partners, especially after the very successful Eastern Partnership Summit that we had in November 2017, and also with our Central Asian partners, in anticipation of our new Central Asia Strategy, which I discussed with you in plenary last month. We will pursue a policy of transparency towards Russia on our cooperation with our eastern partners, exploring cooperation in areas of mutual interest. Our Eastern Partnership is not an alliance against anyone; it is not about spheres of influence or about confronting partners with binary choices. It is a positive partnership that is delivering on our citizens’ needs and aspirations, both within the European Union and in our eastern partners.

Third point: it has been painfully evident in the Salisbury attack that we need to reinforce our own resilience inside the European Union. The EU gave a strong and united response to this attack. In its conclusions on 22 March the European Council condemned the attack in the strongest possible terms and expressed unqualified solidarity with the United Kingdom in the face of this grave challenge to our shared security. Federica Mogherini, as High Representative, recalled the Head of the EU Delegation to Moscow for consultations, which was followed by a majority of  Member States taking coordinated bilateral measures. A strong signal has been sent.

Yesterday’s Foreign Affairs Council also discussed how the EU and its Member States will take forward the European Council’s decision to strengthen resilience to chemical-, biological-, radiological- and nuclear‑related risks, as well as to bolster capabilities to address hybrid threats, including in the areas of cyber-based strategic communication and counter-intelligence. All institutions have a critical role to play in these efforts.

My fourth point: we have a policy of selective engagement with the Russian Federation in areas where we see a clear European Union interest to do so. Yesterday, Member States agreed that this is still a very much valid principle. We need to continue to apply it, mainly in the areas of foreign and security policy: from the nuclear deal with Iran to the Middle East peace process, from Afghanistan to the situation on the Korean peninsula, or other global issues such as climate change, the environment, migration, counterterrorism, or cooperation in the Arctic or some regional issues. All of these are strategically important for Europe and for our citizens.

Last – but certainly not least – we discussed ways to make our support for civil society and human rights in Russia even more effective, as well as for people-to-people contacts, with a focus on youth - the most important hope for any society. We are looking into a significant increase in EU funding for civil society and human rights in Russia, but will also engage in other ways to send the clear message that the EU is open and supportive to the Russian people.

So, once again, the Foreign Affairs Council has confirmed the unity of the European Union in our overall approach towards Russia. It is both a principled and a pragmatic approach that takes into consideration both our interests and our values.

As we look ahead, we call on the European Parliament to continue to support all the strands of EU action towards Russia. Unity among Member States and EU institutions is a very strong signal to Russia. But it is also a strong signal to our citizens that the European Union is there to protect our beliefs and our interests.

Link to the video: http://ec.europa.eu/avservices/video/player.cfm?ref=I153910