Europe Must Balance ‘Firmness and Dialogue’ in Relations With Russia

According to the French Ambassador to the US, the EU must find a balance between a firm approach to Russia and a requisite dialogue.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The European Union must find a balance between a firm approach to Russia and a requisite dialogue, French Ambassador to the United States Gerard Araud said on Tuesday.

"We have to find the right balance between firmness and dialogue," Araud said in an interview with Christiane Amanpour on CNN International. "We have to talk with the Russians, but we have also to be firm."

Araud claimed Russia poses a geopolitical problem for the European Union, but not an existential threat.

"Russia is not the Soviet Union," he noted.

Last July, Araud said he thought economic pain the EU has suffered as a result of sanctions imposed on Russia would eventually push the bloc to abandon them.

Sanctions have been especially painful for the French economy as France’s trade with Russia prior to imposing the measures was 11 times higher than that between Russia and the United States, Araud added.