MOSCOW, September 17. /TASS/. Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev has expressed regret that no Russia-European Union summits have been held since 2014.
"There have been no such meetings since 2014 and I think it is bad," he said in an interview with Deutsche Welle television.
He noted that Crimea’s reunification with Russia was not an easy episode in the work of German Chancellor Angela Merkel and her European colleagues. "No doubt, these were not the easiest episodes for Angela Merkel and our other European partners, the more so as the European Union is not homogenous. Some of its members suffer from phantom pains from the presence in the former communist bloc or inside the Soviet Union, such as the Baltic republics, others are more independent, bigger players. And it is difficult to reach consensus in such conditions," he said.
He recalled that during Russia-EU summits Western politicians, including Merkel, had always noted that it was a daring task to find a consensus among the 28 EU nations. "Sometimes, such consensus is reached at the expense of sacrificing national interests, when it is necessary to pacify unruly EU members who demand new and new sanctions. We take it calmly, as we understand that it is difficult," Medvedev stressed.