MOSCOW, November 25 (Sputnik) — Russia is portrayed as a 'scarecrow' enemy in Europe amid the ongoing Ukrainian crisis, Greek parliamentarian Olga-Nantia Valavani told Sputnik Tuesday.
"The Ukrainian crisis, its internationalization put Russia as a scarecrow enemy before the whole of Europe," Valavani, a member of the Coalition of the Radical Left (SYRIZA) said, adding that it is Europe that is "meddling into [the] internal affairs of Ukraine."
Addressing the issue of sanctions, imposed by European countries against Russia, Valavani said that "from the political point of view, the sanctions are a matter of alienating and destroying discussions and negotiations."
And from an economics point of view, the sanctions are "disastrous for all involved."
According to the parliamentarian, the Coalition of the Radical Left opposed these sanctions and within the European council, it fought against annulling the credentials of the Russian delegation.
Relations between Russia and the European Union have deteriorated in the wake of the Ukrainian crisis, as European leaders blamed Moscow for meddling in Ukrainian affairs with Russia repeatedly denying the claim. In retaliation, the European Union, the United States and their allies have been hitting the country with sanctions, targeting Russia's banking, energy and defense sectors, as well as a number of high-ranking officials.
