The State Duma called the Russophobia of Europe the reason for the EU to appoint a negotiator with the Russian Federation

The idea to appoint a special representative of the European Union (EU) for dialogue with Russia arose due to the impasse against the background of the Russophobic policy of Brussels. This was announced on January 14 by Leonid Slutsky, head of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs and leader of the Liberal Democratic Party.

"The idea of appointing an EU special representative for the Ukrainian settlement for negotiations with Russia is not a new one. It arises against the background of a stalemate due to the Russophobic policies of the Brussels bureaucracy," he told TASS.

The party leader also noted that the candidacy of Finnish President Alexander Stubb for this position is a "debatable issue." According to Slutsky, the Finnish leader has repeatedly made extremely anti-Russian statements, and in his New Year's address he said that the country's relations with Russia "have changed forever."

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On the same day, the newspaper Politico reported that European countries intend to appoint their own negotiator for dialogue with Russia and participation in the discussion of the settlement of the conflict in Ukraine. According to the newspaper, at the same time, supporters of the proposal believe that the direct participation of the European Union in the negotiations will make it possible to defend key issues for it, including further security guarantees and possible prospects for Ukraine's future membership in NATO.

Before that, on January 13, Politico reported that the statements of the leaders of Italy and France about the need for the EU to start negotiations with Russia in the future found support in some European countries. It was noted that there are a number of issues that cannot be resolved exclusively with the United States, since they directly affect the security of the EU.

The head of the European Commission's press service, Paula Pinho, also noted that EU countries will inevitably have to negotiate with Russia.

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