Separate EU-Russia Security Dialogue Unlikely To Have Crucial Impact - Italian Politician

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 25th January, 2022) A separate security dialogue between Russia and the European Union that would run parallel to the Moscow-Washington-NATO one will not yield significant results, Andrea Picchielli, a member of Italy's Lega party, told Sputnik.

On Monday, French President Emmanuel Macron suggested that the EU should be more involved in preparing a response to the proposals on security guarantees put forward by Russia. Picchielli agreed with Macron's sentiment, noting that Europe should prepare its own proposal for the creation of a 'new order of security and stability,' share it with NATO allies and then with Russia.

"But I can see that this parallel EU-Russia dialogue could cause tensions with the United States and could have little substantial impact because Russia wants a direct dialogue with the United States," Picchielli said.

The Italian politician also negatively assessed Washington's decision, later followed by London and Canberra, to authorize evacuations of some diplomatic personnel and their families from Ukraine, saying it was "premature and excessive.

" The EU, on the other hand, chose to "wait for the situation to evolve to eventually take steps of this kind," Picchielli added.

As for the main security talks between Russia and the West, the politician said he did not think it possible for the US to make a compromise on the special status of the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine.

"I think that maybe Russia will proceed with recognition of Donetsk and Luhansk, self-proclaimed independent in 2014 but not recognized by any UN country, not even by Russia. This step could put more pressure on the NATO allies, but could make all the Western allies more compact in the will of containment of Moscow," he said.