EU's Borrell Complains Lavrov is More Popular With Media

Brussels’ diplomat was disappointed by the broad coverage of the Russian foreign minister's trip to Africa, during which he discussed increasing cooperation between the continent and Russia amid the West's fruitless attempt to isolate Moscow.

EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell has expressed frustration over western media allegedly serving as a "resonator" for Russian politicians’ statements, including the special military operation in Ukraine and the effects of western anti-Russia sanctions.

His comments came in an interview with the Spanish Cadena SER.

Borrell expressed being greatly displeased by the fact that Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s trip to Africa enjoyed the international media limelight, while his own visit to the continent did not make any headlines.

"Lavrov visits Africa to try to convince Africans that European sanctions are to blame for everything that is happening [...] and the entire western press repeats this. When I'm going to Africa to say the opposite, that sanctions have nothing to do with it, no [media] picks it up!" Borrell complained.

The top EU diplomat went on to allege that there was a "certain tendency to listen to the enemy" in the western media.

Borrell's frustrations come as major Russian media broadcasters remain silenced by the European Council's order to suspend their licenses and block their websites and social media. Brussels justified the freedom of speech-infringing move by claiming that Russian media spread fakes about the special military operation in Ukraine.

One of the blocked outlets, RT France, attempted to dispute the suspension in an EU court, but the appeal was rejected on July 27. The court insisted that the European Union did not violate any laws by blocking the news outlet.

The Kremlin has harshly condemned the EU's decision and responded in kind by ditching several European news outlets, such as the BBC and Deutsche Welle. Moscow vowed to apply additional pressure against the European press following the court's decision to deny RT France's appeal.