EU Anti-Russian Policy 'Continuous Series of Mistakes'

The European Union's sanctions policy against Russia is an infinite chain of mistakes, which will distance Brussels from its main policy goals and cooperation with Moscow on Syria, Head of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Russian parliament's upper house Konstantin Kosachev said.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Earlier in the day, European Council President Donald Tusk said that the European Union should extend sanctions against Russia due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine as well as Russia's actions in Syria.

"Head of the European Council Donald Tusk could not be characterized by ability to correct mistakes. The EU sanctions policy against Russia is a continuous series of mistakes, which does not move [the European Union] closer to its set goals – to have an impact on Russia, to create difficulties for the Russian economy, leading politicians and businessmen, to make it easier to find solution for a conflict in Ukraine," Kosachev told RIA Novosti on Monday.

He also added that such policy of mistakes will not bring closer the prospect of cooperation between Russia and the European Union on Syria, and stressed that only "concerted actions and not internal disputes with one another" would help to find a solution to this conflict.

Earlier this month, different European politicians, including Germany's Coordinator for Intersocietal Cooperation with Russia, Central Asia and the Eastern Partnership Countries Gernot Erler spoke about introduction of restrictions against Russia over its role in the Syrian conflict, which had aggravated in recent weeks.

On Saturday, the Syrian opposition High Negotiations Committee (HNC) also called on Brussels to impose sanctions on Russia over its actions during the anti-terror campaign in the Middle Eastern nation.