Cool down, gentlemen!

The analysis available this evening does recommend a cooling down of the rhetoric. The messages have been pretty well received in Moscow, they got the picture, which is of clear condemnation, and I think that should be enough for the time being. It is important to be perceived as firm, true. That´s now understood in the Kremlin. But it is also necessary to avoid an escalation of words. Many conflicts have started because the wrong words have been said and misunderstood. As we live in dangerous times, it is important to avoid too many words, too many inflammatory statements or declarations that might create anxiety, confusion and destabilisation of the economic setup, which is very fragile. 

EU and Russia: every summit meeting counts

The next EU-Russia Summit is taking place on Tuesday, 28 January, in Brussels. It will be a very short meeting. Initially thought to last for two days, it is now planned for three hours. That says a lot about the state of mind of the leaders, on both sides of the table. But it is also related to the fact that the current EU bosses are at the end of their mandates. Later in the year all the key European institutions will be headed by new people.

It would be however a mistake to take this summit as a mere formality. There are important issues on the table, from trade to visa requirements, from Ukraine to the Transnistria break-away region of Moldova. The Europeans should find a balance between pushing forward what is positive and can strengthen the relationship and stating the key principles they believe are important to ensure the full respect for international law and human rights.