EU, US Should Stop Hypocrisy to Restore Confidence With Russia: European MP

Unfortunately, the European Union follows the Americans in its policy, which creates a gap between Russia and the EU, a member of the European Parliament said.

MOSCOW, November 25 (Sputnik) — Excessive dependence of the EU countries on the US domination in the global foreign policy leads to the crisis of confidence between Russia and the West, which can be overcome only if the West stops being hypocritical, a member of the European Parliament told Sputnik news agency Tuesday.

"Unfortunately, the European Union follows the Americans in its policy, which creates a gap between Russia and the EU," Aymeric Chauprade from France's Front National party told Sputnik in an interview, adding that suspending economic ties with Russia is "completely counterproductive".

"Normally, the interests of the European Union should be to develop relationship with Russia. It is our natural partner… economically speaking or in terms of energy also," Chauprade, who is also a political scientist, continued.

Speculating on ways in which the current crisis of confidence between Russia and Europe could be overcome, Chauprade noted that primarily it is necessary to "stop [the] hypocrisy of the EU and of the US".

"If the US organized this Maidan coup, it was only because they wanted to change the Ukrainian policy to get Ukraine into NATO", which was not in the actual interests of Ukraine, Chauprade concluded.

The member of the European Parliament also lamented the current situation over the delivery of French made Mistral ships to Russia, which has been a natural and historic French ally.

"Unfortunately [the] French government follows the EU policy, which is against Russia. And that's exactly the case regarding the Mistral situation. We have a signature. We should respect this signature. This is a question of credibility of French defense sector, and… of France as a country. We have a signature; we have real agreement with Russia. We should definitely respect this agreement, and deliver the ship to Russia," Chauprade claimed.

The delivery of the first Mistral-class helicopter carrier to Russia was postponed by French President Francois Hollande earlier in the day over the situation in Ukraine.

Russia and France signed a $1.6 billion deal for two Mistral-class ships in June 2011. The handover of the first ship was scheduled for November 14, but did not take place.

Relations between Russia and the West have deteriorated amid the Ukrainian crisis. Over the past few months, the United States, the European Union and their allies have introduced several rounds of sanctions against Russia, accusing the country of meddling in Ukraine's internal affairs and sending troops to the Eastern regions. However, none of these statements have been supported with any evidence. Moscow has repeatedly denied these allegations, stating that Russia is not involved in what it describes as Ukraine's internal conflict.