BRUSSELS, June 17. /TASS/. The European Union did not formally link the publication of its new strategy on Russia - ‘push back, constrain, engage’ - to the meeting of the Russian and US presidents, Vladimir Putin and Joe Biden, in Geneva, a source in the EU External Action Service told TASS.
"No, the timing of this publication of the joint statement [of the EU External Action Service and the European Commission outlining the strategy on Russia] was linked only to its upcoming presentation next week at the European Council’s meeting [the summit of EU heads of state and government on June 24-25] and was determined by the European Commission’s work schedule," the source stated.
Furthermore, the source actually confirmed Russian Permanent Representative to the EU Vladimir Chizhov’s assumption that the document could have been previously discussed by the EU leaders and Biden during the EU-US summit on June 15 in Brussels, which preceded the talks between Russian and US presidents in Geneva.
"Relations with Russia were discussed on Tuesday during the [EU-US] summit, which is also reflected in the joint statement," the source noted.
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell held a press conference in Brussels on Wednesday, where he presented the new EU strategy on Russia. According to this document, the EU intends to push back Russia’s alleged attempts to interfere in the EU states and neighboring countries’ affairs, constrain the growing Russian influence in Europe and across the world, which may contradict the EU’s interests and values, and engage Russia in a dialogue on the issues of mutual interest: climate, combating COVID-19 as well as regional and international conflict settlement.
The presentation of this strategy practically coincided with the beginning of the talks between the Russian and US leaders, Vladimir Putin and Joe Biden, in Geneva on June 16.