All news

Munich Conference demonstrates new approach of US, EU towards Russia’s position — senator

"Last year’s logic ‘we don’t agree with Russia and refuse to talk’ changed to ‘we don’t agree, but we must talk’," chairman of Federation Council’s International Affairs Committee wrote in his blog
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and US Secretary of State John Kerry during a bilateral meeting at the 51st Munich Security Conference AP Photo/Jim Watson, Pool
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and US Secretary of State John Kerry during a bilateral meeting at the 51st Munich Security Conference
© AP Photo/Jim Watson, Pool

MOSCOW, February 9. /TASS/. Munich Security Conference demonstrated the new approach of US and European politicians towards Russia’s position, chairman of Federation Council’s International Affairs Committee Konstantin Kosachev wrote in his blog on Monday. They realized that dialogue is indispensable, Kosachev stressed.

"Firstly, last year’s logic ‘we don’t agree with Russia and refuse to talk’ changed to at least ‘we don’t agree, but we must talk’. Secondly, the EU, unlike the US, rules out the possibility of supplying weapons to Ukraine. Consequently, if we ignore the public rhetoric, the Europeans in fact back Moscow’s political settlement plan rather than Kiev’s military scenario. Thirdly, we received news about continuing contacts between the leaders of Russia, Germany and France throughout the course of the Munich Conference. These contacts prove not on words, but in actions, that this new approach has no alternative. We will hope for the result," Kosachev wrote.

Meetings with European and US parliamentarians on the sidelines of the Munich Conference give a chance for dialogue in such a format, Kosachev said. "I am convinced that the parliamentarian channel may be a very effective means in the Russian-US and Russian-European discussion of the Ukrainian crisis and other pressing issues [first of all, Iran and Syria]," he added.