Moscow was quick to react after the announcement of the appointments of Ursula von der Leyen as President of the European Commission and Kaja Kallas as the new head of EU diplomacy.
The chances of improving relations between the EU and Russia are “poor” after the “Russophobic” appointments at the EU summit yesterday, a Kremlin spokesman said on Friday.
Dmitri Peskov mentioned by name Ursula von der Leyen, who was chosen for a new term as president of the European Commission, and Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, chosen as the new head of EU diplomacy.
“Mrs von der Leyen is not in favour of normalising relations between the EU and Russia“, did he declare.
“So far, Mrs Kallas has also not shown any inclination towards diplomacy and is well known among us for her relentless and sometimes even rabidly Russophobic statements. Therefore, we do not believe that European diplomacy will act in any way in favour of normalising relations.“, continued Dmitri Peskov.
Relations between Brussels and Moscow have been frosty since the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Since Moscow launched its massive invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Kaja Kallas has played a leading role within the EU in punishing Russia with sanctions, sending military support to Kyiv and strengthening the EU’s defense capabilities.