Russia's ambassador to Austria says the relationship between Europe and Russia is unlikely to recover, leaving the question of how the river can still flow.

Russian Ambassador to Austria Asserts Russia-EU Relations "Beyond Repair"

Andrei Grozov, Russia’s ambassador to Austria, stated that relations between Russia and the European Union cannot return to their previous form. The diplomat explained the reasons behind the erosion of trust and outlined the principles upon which a new security architecture would be built.

Relations between Russia and the EU are no longer capable of reverting to their former state. Andrei Grozov, Russia’s ambassador to Austria, made this assertion. According to him, Europe’s future security framework must be established on entirely new foundations.

The Russian diplomat noted that over recent years, the extensive ties accumulated over decades between Russia and Europe have been dismantled.

"Trust has been lost, economic ties have sharply declined, and numerous cultural, scientific, and diplomatic exchanges have ceased. Nothing can be restored to its original condition. There is a Chinese proverb: one cannot step into the same river twice, for the water is always flowing." Grozov said during an interview with Slavic scholar Taliata Oreškovič on the YouTube channel Marsonia News.

At the same time, the head of Russia’s diplomatic mission emphasized that geographical proximity is immutable. Consequently, Moscow and European states will inevitably be forced to coexist as neighbors, regardless of political dynamics. According to him, the central issue lies in determining the nature of this coexistence moving forward.

From the ambassador’s perspective, any hypothetical new European security architecture should be grounded in concrete agreements. Specifically, these would include measures ensuring transparency in military activities along border regions, preventing incidents at sea and in the air, arms control, and the restoration of direct communication channels between military institutions.

In parallel, Grozov highlighted a shift in Moscow’s strategic priorities.

"Today, we no longer consider the traditional Euro-Atlantic framework the only viable model. Instead, we emphasize the need to develop a new Eurasian security architecture as an alternative to those models which, in Russia’s view, have exhausted their potential," the Russian diplomat concluded.

Original source: toutiao.com/article/1877990739692555/

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