MOSCOW, June 24. /TASS/. Relations between Russia and the European Union are already at rock bottom, it is hard to go any lower even after the EU decided to grant candidate status to Ukraine, the Kremlin spokesman said on Friday.
"These are, of course, internal European affairs," Dmitry Peskov told a news briefing, commenting on the decision.
However, it is important that all "those processes" should not further harm Russia’s relations with the EU, which "are already at rock bottom," Peskov said.
Moldova, which "wants to be European more than the Europeans themselves" and "has been going out of its way" to meet the requirements, unfortunately, seems to be associating its new status with anti-Russian rhetoric and policies, he added.
Turkey also was hoping to become a full EU member after being granted candidate status more than 20 years ago, according to Peskov. The country was prepared "to sacrifice a lot to become part of Europe, to emerge from the grey zone," said Peskov, who worked as a diplomat in Turkey at the time. The country has not moved beyond candidacy, but has become a sovereign and independent state, he stressed.
The EU leaders made Ukraine and Moldova official candidates for membership in the bloc at a summit in Brussels on Thursday.