DISINFO: The West implements a planned campaign to contain Russia, uses unfriendly and hostile actions
SUMMARY
The West is seeking any pretext in order to achieve its global goal of containing Russia. Western countries are implementing a previously elaborated, planned information and political campaign, the goal of which is the policy of containing Russia.
For many years Russia has been offering its EU partners to solve emerging problems via existing diplomatic means, through negotiations and consultations.
However, any attempt from Russia to translate this into a constructive dialogue was blocked by the EU.
All Russia’s actions to impose sanctions against 8 EU officials are exclusively responsive measures to those absolutely unfriendly and sometimes hostile actions that Russia sees from the collective West.
RESPONSE
This is a recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about the West allegedly pursuing a belligerent and hostile agenda to contain Russia.
The EU has imposed restrictive measures, including sectoral sanctions, as a result of the illegal annexation of Crimea and Russia's destabilising actions in eastern Ukraine. Formats such as regular high-level dialogues remain suspended in the absence of the full implementation of the Minsk agreements by Russia. These events have seriously affected bilateral relations. As a result, some of the policy dialogues and mechanisms of cooperation are temporarily frozen, and sanctions directed at promoting a change in Russia's actions in Ukraine have been adopted. A number of additional issues affect bilateral relations, including Russia’s actions in the EU’s Eastern Neighbourhood, Syria, Libya and elsewhere, and repeated malign activities including disinformation campaigns.
The EU’s approach to Russia is guided by five principles agreed in 2016 and reaffirmed, most recently, by EU Foreign Ministers in October 2020.
The EU and Russia have committed to upholding and respecting the fundamental values and principles of democracy, human rights, the rule of law and the market economy. Russia remains a natural partner for the EU and a strategic player combating the regional and global challenges.
At the same time, the West is trying to keep channels of communications and cooperation open with Russia. The EU and its member states have maintained a clear policy of reaching out to Russian society and youth, mainly through the Erasmus+ student exchange programme and other people to people contacts. The new US administration has signalled a willingness to extend the New START Treaty. NATO's approach to Russia is defence and dialogue. More about NATO can be read here and its relations with Russia here.
Russia's latest sanctions on top EU officials brought a strongly-worded response from EU leaders. In a Joint Statement by the President of the European Council, the President of the European Commission, and the President of the European Parliament, the EU leaders have stated that Russia's move represents a "striking demonstration of how the Russian Federation has chosen confrontation with the EU instead of agreeing to redress the negative trajectory of [the] bilateral relations."