Diplomats Say Russia Targets Bulgaria, 6 Other EU States in Drive to Kill Sanctions - Reuters

World » RUSSIA | July 30, 2016, Saturday // 11:52
Bulgaria: Diplomats Say Russia Targets Bulgaria, 6 Other EU States in Drive to Kill Sanctions - Reuters Russian President Vladimir Putin attends the annual Q&A nationwide live-broadcast television and radio shows 'Direct Line with Vladimir Putin' in Moscow, Russia, April 14, 2016. EPA/BGNES

Bulgaria and six other EU Member States of southern and eastern Europe is one of the main targets of Russia’s efforts to end the economic sanctions of the bloc imposed over the Ukraine crisis, Reuters has reported, citing diplomats.

According to several unnamed Moscow-based EU diplomats, “Russia's tactic of methodically lobbying southern and eastern EU member states is starting to seriously erode the bloc's unity on the issue, making it potentially harder to renew them next time,” Reuters said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to Slovenia on Saturday is part of the Russia’s diplomatic offensive to find a way around the sanctions by “targeting countries it thinks are softer”, one diplomat has said.

According to diplomats, Moscow aims to lure some EU member states with “offers of lucrative trade deals and polite reminders of lost export revenues” and EU’s unity begins to crack because of the negative impact of the Russian counter-sanctions, which banned many food imports from the EU, on European farmers.

Diplomats listed Italy, Greece, Hungary, Cyprus, Slovenia, Slovakia and Bulgaria among "Moscow's prime targets," Reuters said.

We need your support so Novinite.com can keep delivering news and information about Bulgaria! Thank you!

Russia » Be a reporter: Write and send your article
Tags: imports, food, sanctions, Ukraine, Bulgaria, sanctions, Putin,   Russia, EU, European Union

Advertisement
Advertisement
Bulgaria news Novinite.com (Sofia News Agency - www.sofianewsagency.com) is unique with being a real time news provider in English that informs its readers about the latest Bulgarian news. The editorial staff also publishes a daily online newspaper "Sofia Morning News." Novinite.com (Sofia News Agency - www.sofianewsagency.com) and Sofia Morning News publish the latest economic, political and cultural news that take place in Bulgaria. Foreign media analysis on Bulgaria and World News in Brief are also part of the web site and the online newspaper. News Bulgaria