EU countries are free to maintain contacts with Russian counterparts at a bilateral level, there is no ban on such contacts, but countries must take into account the pan-European position and EU policy, Nabil Massrali, representative of the Union’s foreign policy service, said, commenting on the words of former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi about “restoring relations” with Russia .
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Berlusconi said earlier that Russian President Vladimir Putin called him “the first of his five real friends.” According to him, he “restored relations with Putin“, whom he “knew as a peaceful and prudent person.”
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“The EU does not comment on the contacts that individual European politicians want to resume… As for the EU countries as a whole, they are free to conduct contacts as they see fit, respecting, of course, the common European policy. There is no ban on contacts with Russian counter-partners, but such contacts should take into account the position of the EU on … Ukraine,” the representative of the European External Service said.
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Previously, the EU has repeatedly stated that they do not consider the current moment “suitable” for contacts with Russia at a high level.
