Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called the remarks of EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas “idiotic.” She had previously stated that in talks with Moscow on Ukraine, Brussels would, among other things, raise the issue of withdrawing Russian troops from the territories of Georgia and Moldova.
“Listen, I do not discuss idiotic statements,” Lavrov said, responding to a question from a journalist for the Izvestia newspaper.
On the afternoon of May 28, on the sidelines of an informal meeting of EU foreign ministers in Cyprus, Kaja Kallas stated that if concessions in the form of military restrictions are demanded of Ukraine, then such restrictions should be mirrored for Russia. At the same time, the EU’s top diplomat emphasized that there are broader issues: “If you think about Russian troops in countries like Georgia and Moldova, it is also in the interest of European security that these troops are not there.”
According to Kallas, “of course, this is a maximalist approach.” At the same time, the Commissioner emphasized that Moscow’s approach so far has also consisted of putting forward maximalist demands.
As a reminder, there are no Russian military bases on the territories of Georgia and Moldova controlled by official Tbilisi and Chisinau. Nevertheless, Russian troops are stationed in the occupied territories of Georgia—Abkhazia and South Ossetia—as well as in the unrecognized Transnistrian Republic.