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EU to discuss relations with Russia at its summit in October, says source

According to the diplomat, relations with Russia within the context of the situation around the alleged poisoning of Russian blogger Alexey Navalny will be also discussed at a session of the Council of the European Union on Monday

BRUSSELS, September 18./TASS/. At its scheduled summit in mid-October, the European Union will hold a major discussion on relations with Russia, a high-ranking EU representative told journalists on Friday ahead of a meeting of EU foreign ministers on September 21.

"We will have an in-depth discussion on relations with Russia in October," the source said, adding that the EU "does not understand Russia’s behavior".

According to the diplomat, relations with Russia within the context of the situation around the alleged poisoning of Russian blogger Alexey Navalny will be also discussed at a session of the Council of the European Union on Monday. "The ministers will get information from the head of the German Foreign Office," the source added.

On August 20, a plane carrying Navalny made an emergency landing in the Russian city of Omsk after the blogger had suddenly felt unwell in mid-flight. Navalny was taken to the hospital in a coma and was hooked up to a ventilator. On August 22, he was flown to Germany for treatment at Berlin’s Charite hospital.

On September 2, the German government said, citing the results of a toxicological analysis by Bundeswehr experts, that Navalny had been allegedly poisoned with a Novichok nerve agent.

For his part, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Moscow was ready for comprehensive cooperation with Berlin, while the Russian Foreign Ministry noted that no evidence had been furnished to substantiate these accusations.

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