The deliberate policy choices and aggressive actions of the Russian government over the last years, in particular the 2014 illegal annexation of the Crimean Peninsula by Russia and its ongoing destabilising actions against EU Member States and neighbours alike, have created a negative spiral in EU-Russia relations.
The EU has imposed restrictive measures, including sectoral sanctions, as a result of Russia’s actions in Ukraine, while formats such as regular high-level dialogues and cooperation remain suspended in the absence of the full implementation of the Minsk agreements by Russia.
A number of additional serious issues impact bilateral relations, including Russia’s actions in the EU’s Eastern Neighbourhood, Syria, Libya and beyond, and repeated malign activities against EU Member States including chemical and other attacks, disinformation campaigns, hybrid actions and cyber-attacks.
Nonetheless, the EU and Russia share longstanding historical, cultural, scientific and economic ties and face key global issues together. The EU continues to engage in selected areas of clear EU self-interest. The EU’s approach to Russia is guided by five principles agreed in 2016 and reaffirmed, most recently, by the European Council in May 2021.