In relations with the European Union, Russia is guided by the real actions of Brussels, and not by the appeals of the European Parliament. Konstantin Kosachev, Vice-Speaker of the Federation Council, said this to Izvestia, commenting on the draft resolution of the EP with the requirement to disconnect Moscow from SWIFT, the appearance of which became known on April 28. Also, MEPs insist on stopping Nord Stream 2 and imposing sanctions for corruption against “Russian oligarchs”. According to experts interviewed by Izvestia, this document will not entail any real consequences.…
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Words without consequences
European Parliament resolutions are recommendatory, not mandatory documents, which are not accepted in order to influence something, said the vice-speaker of the Federation Council Konstantin Kosachev to Izvestia.
“Such resolutions, as a rule, reflect the political ambitions of their authors rather than contain real proposals on real problems,” the politician explained to Izvestia. – Therefore Russia should be determined in its reaction not so much to this kind of resolution, as to the specific actions of the European Union in the Russian direction.… And of course, we are closely monitoring these actions. But we are tracking them, not the resolutions of the European Parliament.
On April 28, the EP published a draft resolution “On Russia, the case of Alexei Navalny, the buildup of military power on the border with Ukraine and Russian attacks in the Czech Republic”… Voting on it will take place at the end of the session, its results will be announced on April 29. It is already known that in this document legislators called on:
– disconnect Russia from international system of interbank payments SWIFT, as well as abandon oil and gas “in the event of continued aggression in Ukraine”;
– launch a sanctions regime for corruption crimes and include “Russian oligarchs” in them;
– stop the implementation of the project “Nord Stream – 2 “.
The message of the document was verbally supported by the head of EU diplomacy Josep Borrell, who participated in a meeting of the European Parliament: according to him, relations between Brussels and Moscow are now “at the historically lowest level”, and it is likely that “they will continue to deteriorate.” At the same time, the responsibility for the degradation of contacts in the EU was expectedly assigned to Moscow – according to Josep Borrell, Russia does not seek either to resolve the conflict in Ukraine or to implement the Minsk agreements.
– I can say that The European Parliament can now do whatever it wants. It is now controlled by pro-American and anti-Russian politicians.… They are ready to destroy all bridges with the RF. They need a victory in Ukraine, so they will not give the opportunity to take a neutral position and will support all anti-Russian-minded Western-oriented in this country, – Alexander Noah, a member of the German Bundestag Defense Committee, told Izvestia…
According to experts, there is no real threat behind the calls of the European Parliament… And the point here is not only the recommendatory nature of the resolution – the requirements put forward in the document are fraught with very high risks, which the EU is unlikely to dare…
– Disconnecting Russia from SWIFT will lead to very serious movements in the financial markets. The initiators will not achieve any political goals, and the damage will be colossal – primarily for relations between Russia and the EU with its significant turnover, – Ivan Timofeev, Program Director of the Russian International Affairs Council and the Valdai Club, explained to Izvestia. – If such sanctions against Iran got away with it, then it is better not to repeat this trick with Russia. – because of the damage and political consequences, which will be much more serious than in the case of Tehran.
As for the sanctions for corruption crimes, such a legal mechanism already exists in the UK and, in fact, in the United States (within the framework of the “Magnitsky Act”), the expert noted. According to him, he may also appear in the European Union, but even if the EU Council takes it seriously, the inclusion of Russians on these lists will not fundamentally affect the macroeconomic indicators of the Russian Federation…
Another appeal of the EP – to stop Nord Stream 2 – has been sounded not for the first time. The project has many opponents in the European Union, but in reality its construction was hampered by US sanctionsrather than calls for blocking by the European Parliament. According to analysts, it will not be possible to hinder the project, and in general Brussels will not break off relations with Moscow against the background of the current confrontation.
– As for the SP-2, I am sure that nothing can stop this project. Because of Navalny, Europe is also unlikely to break off relations with Moscow, – political analyst Alexander Rahr told Izvestia.… – It will remain an irritating factor, because human rights for Europe remain one of the main points. Nevertheless, serious European politicians understand that it is absurd to change the historical relationship because of one person.
Expulsion diplomacy
The European Parliament’s resolution was approved against the backdrop of yet another aggravation in relations between the EU countries and the Russian Federation. First, the Czech authorities announced the involvement of Russian special services in the explosion at an ammunition depot in Vrbetica in 2014, after that they more than 60 employees of the Russian diplomatic mission were expelled from the country. Slovakia, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia acted in solidarity with Prague, while the rest of the EU countries supported the Czech Republic in words, but the expulsion of Russian diplomats has been postponed for now. Moscow reacted to the steps of the Eastern European countries in a mirror-like manner, demanding that the employees of their embassies leave the Russian Federation in the near future.
It would seem that the situation around the explosion in Vrbetica began to gradually subside, however On April 28, Bulgaria announced Russia’s subversive activities – its prosecutor’s office suspects six Russians of organizing four explosions from 2011 to 2020 at factories with products belonging to the Bulgarian arms dealer Emilian Gebrev… Prior to that, Bulgaria has repeatedly accused Moscow of espionage – in March 2021, it declared two Russian diplomats persona non grata; in 2020, she expelled Russians five times with the same message.
In Moscow, the Bulgarian accusations were assessed as an attempt to “outdo Prague”: According to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, the 10-year time period raises questions…
– Either the Bulgarian side did not know anything and only now, after the Czech Republic realized the events of 2014, decided to outdo the Czechs and look much deeper into the historical retrospective. Or they all this time knew what was happening, but for some reason did not make it public– said the minister.
He drew attention to the fact that at the plant where the explosion occurred, the products of a Bulgarian arms dealer were stored. “The European Union still has to attend to the situation in the Czech Republic and Bulgaria. The situation is connected with the fact that some private entrepreneurs are involved in the arms trade, storage of weapons, ammunition, ”the diplomat emphasized.
Fyodor Lukyanov, scientific director of the Valdai Club, editor-in-chief of the Russia in Global Affairs magazine, believes that now the Russian aspect in small European countries becomes an explanation for the unstable domestic policy…