Moscow hit out at envoys claiming they refused to fulfill with overseas minister, as relations proceed to deteriorate.
Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has accused Western ambassadors in Moscow of meddling in its inner affairs and questioned their perform.
The assertion on Tuesday adopted complaints from Moscow’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov the day past that ambassadors from European Union international locations had refused to fulfill him. The rebuke comes with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine having pushed relations with the West to their lowest ebb in many years.
Lavrov mentioned on March 4 that he had invited EU envoys for a dialog forward of Russia’s March 15-17 presidential election however that they’d refused. There was no quick response from Western diplomats.
However, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova revived the topic on Tuesday on Russian state tv.
“The question indeed arises among everyone: what are they doing, and why, how do they interpret their conduct on the territory of our country if they do not perform their most important function?” Zakharova declared to anchor Vladimir Solovyov.
Solovyov famous that EU ambassadors attended the March 1 funeral of opposition politician Alexei Navalny, whom he labelled their agent.
Navalny, whose loss of life at an Arctic jail colony was introduced on February 16, all the time denied he was a Western agent.
Zakharova mentioned such behaviour confirmed Western ambassadors in Moscow had been meddling in Russia’s affairs and placing on “performances” somewhat than doing their diplomatic work.
The banner headline on Solovyov’s tv present learn: “Should the EU ambassadors be sent out?”
Warning to Berlin
The West is grappling with what help it would give to Kyiv after Russian forces regained the initiative on the battlefield after a failed Ukrainian counteroffensive final yr.
Diplomatic relations between Russia and the West proceed to deteriorate because the battle grinds on.
Last week, President Vladimir Putin reiterated his declare that Russia is preventing defensively in opposition to a Western proxy battle that dangers frightening nuclear battle.
Even at a petty stage, settlement is scarce.
Russian media final week revealed an audio recording of a gathering of senior German army officers discussing sending missiles to Ukraine. Reports mentioned on Monday that Moscow had summoned Germany’s envoy over the difficulty, however Berlin mentioned the assembly had lengthy been scheduled.
Ambassador Alexander Graf Lambsdorff was additionally scolded over makes an attempt by Berlin to limit the actions of Russian journalists in Germany, Zakharova claimed on Tuesday.
“If they touch Russian correspondents and bring their plans to conclusion, German journalists will leave Russia,” she asserted.
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