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EU under total NATO’s control in military security sphere - Russian senior diplomat

European Union’s ambitions to play an independent military political role, to become less dependent on the United States find no practical implementation, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko said

SOCHI, December 19. /TASS/. The European Union’s statement on its readiness to discuss European security with Russia within the Russia-NATO Council format indicates that it is under complete control of NATO in what concerns military security, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko said on Sunday.

"These European Union’s statements mean only one thing: the European Union is under total control of NATO in the sphere of military security. That’s all. And as of today, its ambitions to play an independent military political role, to become less dependent on the United States find no practical implementation," he said.

"I am very glad to hear the European Union’s statement that they are ready to discuss security issues within the Russia-NATO Council format," he said. "But I would like to recall that as part of the concept of four common spaces where we have made visible progress, we once suggested a Russian-EU Security Council be established so that we could have a possibility for direct dialogue to discuss the security situation in Europe and we suggested that this dialogue be continued until joint solutions on certain regional problems are reached. But the European Union turned that down then.".

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