Jean-Claude Juncker to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin next week
The president of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker will meet Vladimir Putin next week for the first time in eighteen months, his spokesperson confirmed this afternoon.
Juncker is set to make his first visit to Russia since the Ukraine crisis, and the imposition of sanctions by the EU against Russia, next week to attend the St. Petersburg Economic Forum, Russia’s equivalent to the World Economic Forum’s annual Davos meeting.
Today his office confirmed that Juncker will have a bilateral meeting with the Russian President in their first face-to-face conversation since November 2014 ahead of the G20 summit.
A spokesperson for Juncker said: “As regards the meeting next week … they will discuss relations between the EU and Russia.
“I can assure you there will not be a softening of European positions in St. Petersburg.”
#WhatBritainLost: average annual aid from joint EU budget to states worst hit by sanctions pic.twitter.com/n43lQJAl8L
— Russian Embassy, UK (@RussianEmbassy) June 7, 2016
The Twitter account for the Russian embassy has been highlighting the economic damage of sanctions to the UK and the EU.
Despite the comments, speculation will be rife that Putin will use the meeting to pressure Juncker to drop – or ease – the sanctions regime imposed against Russia, which puts a partial block on economic activity between the EU and Russia. A number of Putin’s allies have also had their assets frozen.