EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Vice-President of the European Commission Josep Borrell, in an interview with Interfax-Ukraine, said that relations between the EU and the Russian Federation have deteriorated over the past decade, especially after the illegal annexation of Crimea.
“Our relations have deteriorated over the past decade, and, especially after the illegal annexation of Crimea and Sevastopol by Russia in 2014, they were characterized by a lack of trust. Today we fundamentally see each other as rivals and competitors, not partners. We have serious disagreements when it comes to it is about conflicts in our immediate vicinity, from Ukraine and Belarus to Libya and Syria, as well as about human rights and fundamental freedoms”,- he said.