The European Union member-states intend to prepare a new set of sanctions against the Russian Federation by simultaneously stressed the need to explore formats and conditionalities of dialogue with Russia. This is stated in the final European Council conclusions on external relations following the EU summit on 24 June 2021.
“The European Council stresses the need for a firm and coordinated response by the EU and its Member States to any further malign, illegal and disruptive activity by Russia, making full use of all instruments at the EU’s disposal, and ensuring coordination with partners. To this end, the European Council also invites the Commission and the High Representative to present options for additional restrictive measures, including economic sanctions,” the document states.
At the same time, the European Council reiterated the European Union’s openness to a selective engagement with Russia in areas of EU interest.
The Council “invites the Commission and the High Representative to develop concrete options including conditionalities and leverages in this regard, with a view to their consideration by the Council, on topics such as climate and the environment, health, as well as selected issues of foreign and security policy and multilateral issues such as the JCPoA, Syria and Libya. In this context, the European Council will explore formats and conditionalities of dialogue with Russia,” the document notes.
In addition, the European Council condemns the limitations on fundamental freedoms in Russia, the shrinking space for civil society and disruptive behavior in Ukraine and called on Russia to fully assume its responsibility in ensuring the full implementation of the Minsk agreements as the key condition for any substantial change in the EU’s stance.
Concluding, the Council stressed the need to further deepen and intensify political, economic, and people-to-people ties and cooperation with the Eastern Partners with a view to increasing their resilience referring to the Eastern partnership countries.
We would like to remind you that German Chancellor Angela Merkel is convinced that the EU should support the concstructive dialogue with Russia since the Federation is "the EU's great neighbor on the continent".