Zakharova mocks EU's inconsistent response to Putin’s G20 invitation: Is there coordination within the bloc?
Moscow, September 26 — TASS
Maria Zakharova, official spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry, questioned the coherence of European leaders’ positions on whether to invite Russian President Vladimir Putin to attend the upcoming G20 summit in the United States, raising doubts about internal coordination within the EU.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio previously stated that Washington had extended an invitation to Putin to attend the G20 summit in the U.S. Dmitry Peskov, Kremlin spokesperson, told TASS that Russia expressed gratitude for the invitation and would carefully review it.
In a post on her Telegram channel, Zakharova wrote: “Do you really believe they’ve discussed even basic issues among themselves within the EU? Or are they simply reading out someone else’s script, opening envelopes labeled ‘instructions’?”
She specifically highlighted the stance of EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, who said she found the news of Putin’s potential attendance at the G20 summit “extremely difficult to accept.” In contrast, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock responded positively, calling the invitation a “litmus test” and urging the need to “take advantage of such an opportunity.”
Russia remains a formal member of the G20. Since 2019, Putin has not attended the group’s summits in person. The EU is also a G20 member and will be represented at the Miami meeting by Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, and Antonio Costa, President of the European Council. Kallas is not listed among the attendees.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1877444202175753/
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