Moscow expects relations with the European Union to become difficult because of the politicians who will lead the bloc in the coming years, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday.
Kaya KallasThe Estonian prime minister, appointed as head of the bloc’s foreign policy department, has so far not stood out for her diplomatic skills, Peskov said, according to reports from Russian news agencies.
He described Kallas as “known to [Russia] “for her completely unacceptable and sometimes extremely Russophobic comments.”
Peskov was also critical of Ursula von der Leyen, who has been nominated for a second term as president of the European Commission.
“The prospects for relations between Moscow and Brussels are bad,” Peskov said, adding that a normalisation of ties was not expected.
Relations between the two have deteriorated following Russia’s large-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The EU recently adopted its fourteenth package of sanctions against Russia and its leaders.
