Strength Through Unity: EU to Stay United on Policy Toward Russia

EU member states will preserve a joint stance on EU policy toward Russia despite some individual experiences of EU countries, President of the European Council Donald Tusk said on Wednesday.

BRUSSELS (Sputnik) — At a plenary session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg, Tusk said:

"We all agree that the European unity in approaching Russia is our greatest strength, and so we will stand united."

The European Union was not seeking confrontation with Russia, but just reacting to the steps taken by the Russian authorities, Tusk added.

The EU-Russia relations have been strained since Crimea reunified with Russia in 2014, with Brussels accusing Moscow of meddling in Ukraine's internal affairs.

The tensions have exacerbated in light of the situation in Syria, especially in the embattled city of Aleppo, with certain EU politicians, including UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, raising the issue of possible Syria-related sanctions against Russia. At the EU summit held on October 20-21 in Brussels, EU member states did not approve the adoption of sanctions over Syria.