(Adnkronos) – Russia will manage relations with the EU and NATO through a new specific department “for European issues”. The structure already existed within the Russian Foreign Ministry, but was previously known as the Department for Pan-European Cooperation (Doc). It now takes on the new name of Department for European Issues (Dep), which reflects “changes in geopolitical realities”, including “the evident degradation of multilateral cooperation structures in Europe”, explained Maria Zakharova, spokeswoman for the Ministry Russian Foreigners.
Russia’s relations with Europe have been in deep crisis since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in early 2022. The EU has imposed sanctions on the Kremlin, confiscating Russian assets and providing support to Ukraine. Moscow withdrew from the Council of Europe in March 2022 and in July of this year suspended its participation in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).
