UK and Europe ‘Badly Misread Russia’

Britain and the European Union have been accused of a “catastrophic misreading” of the mood in the Kremlin in the run up to the crisis in Ukraine.

The House of Lords EU committee claimed Europe “sleepwalked” into the crisis.

The EU had not realised the depth of Russian hostility to its plans for closer relations with Ukraine, it said.

It comes as European Council president Donald Tusk called David Cameron to discuss how the EU should respond to the ongoing violence in east Ukraine.

The Lords committee’s report also said Britain had not been “active or visible enough” in dealing with the situation.

It blamed cuts in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, which it said meant the FCO had fewer Russian experts and put less emphasis on analysis.

A similar decline in EU foreign ministries had left them ill-equipped to formulate an “authoritative response” to the situation in Ukraine, it said.

It claimed that for too long the EU’s relationship with Moscow had been based on the “optimistic premise” that Russia was on a trajectory to becoming a democratic country.

The result, it said, was a failure to appreciate the depth of Russian hostility when the EU opened talks aimed at establishing an “association agreement” with Ukraine in 2013.

BBC

Posted by Editor on February 20, 2015. Filed under World. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

6 Responses to UK and Europe ‘Badly Misread Russia’

kwasakwasa

February 20, 2015 at 10:10 am
mj banda

February 20, 2015 at 12:51 pm

Now they are realising, stupid bafoons
Putin

February 20, 2015 at 2:19 pm

Balubana basanga Putin aleteya
Judge Joe Bidden

February 20, 2015 at 4:46 pm

Even if EU knew what was happening in Kremlin, it naturally doesnt act until US takes the lead. Again Putin is no leader you can discuss standing, sit down and plan properly otherwise this Grand Master Putin is no push over.
- Mundetele
  
  February 23, 2015 at 1:31 pm
  
  Joe Bidden, indeed Putin is a chess grand master in real war strategies. The EU totally underestimated his push-back to their trying to consummate a political-marriage with Ukraine, who Russia considers to be theirs. If the EU are not careful, there will be no Ukraine to talk about at the end of this saga.
juku1

February 22, 2015 at 4:33 pm

thats double standard of th highest order.USA nd its allies ar suplying arm to rebles in syria but when there friend do the same to rebles in ukraine at sanctions.what they should is that putin is not a push over he is protecting russias interest aswel.in ukraine thats were world disaster wil come fr if not wel handled.