Harsh EU Draft Report On Russia Reflects Crisis In Relations With Moscow - Lawmaker

The draft report on EU relations with Russia presented on Tuesday is not binding but nonetheless reflects the crisis in EU-Russian relations, member of the European Parliament of Germany's Greens, Sergey Lagodinsky, told Sputnik

STRASBOURG (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 15th September, 2021) The draft report on EU relations with Russia presented on Tuesday is not binding but nonetheless reflects the crisis in EU-Russian relations, member of the European Parliament of Germany's Greens, Sergey Lagodinsky, told Sputnik.

On Tuesday, members of the European Parliament called for strengthening the military potential to contain Russia and for imposing a broader range of sanctions against Moscow.

Lagodinsky said that the draft EU report is an indicator of the general political mood, it is not binding and it is unlikely to have any consequences, but it is nonetheless important since it demonstrates a "crisis in our bilateral relations."

Political groups represented in the European Parliament have tentatively agreed on the "tough" report prepared by former Lithuanian Prime Minister Andrius Kubilius on EU relations with Russia.

Apart from the strengthening of defense capabilities to deter Russia and expanding sanctions, the report also suggests that the EU should be prepared to refuse to recognize the State Duma elections, if Brussels decides that the 2021 parliamentary elections in Russia are fraudulent.

In July, the EU parliamentary committee on foreign affairs approved Kubilius' report. Its future will be decided at the parliament's plenary session underway in Strasbourg on September 13-16. The decisions of the European Parliament are not binding, they are only a recommendation for EU countries.