MOSCOW, 29 December 2021, (TON): The possible participation of the European Union in Russia’s negotiations with the US and NATO on security guarantees would have no added value.

This was stated at an online briefing by the Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the EU Vladimir Chizhov.

“It has no definite added value,” he said, answering the question whether the EU’s participation in these negotiations is expedient.

Chizhov explained that the EU is not a military bloc, so the Russian proposals are addressed specifically to NATO, which includes many EU countries.

The diplomat said “the main content of our proposals is issues of tough security. The issue of non-deployment of medium and shorter-range missiles – does the European Union deploy them? The European Union is not a military bloc.”

“We are not against the supportive role of the European Union in these organizations (NATO and OSCE – TASS note). Moreover, I would be glad to see the collective contribution of the EU countries, which are NATO members, to the common position of NATO,” Chizhov stressed. on the basis of our proposals to become a military bloc is probably not included in our plans either. “

The European Union itself needs to take the first step to break the deadlock in Russian-EU relations, into which it has driven itself, Chizhov noted. The diplomat described the prospects for overcoming the crisis in relations between Russia and the European Union as bright.