Brussels 10.02.2022 Anna van Densky: The European Union has formally handed over its collective response to the letter of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on the European security issues, the EEAS spokesperson announced, and Russian diplomatic mission to the EU confirmed.

“Permanent Representative of Russia to the EU Vladimir Chizhov met Director Security and Defense policy at the European External Action Service Joanneke Balfoort, who on the instruction of the High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell handed over his address to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on behalf of foreign ministers of 27 EU member-states,” the Permanent Mission said.

The document is the response to the address of the Russian Foreign Minister on the security indivisibility topic, sent on January 28 of this year to top diplomats of certain European countries, the US and Canada.

Russian diplomatic mission made it clear that the EU does not anticipate to make the contents of this response public, the diplomatic mission source added, mentioning as a reference the name of Joanneke Balfoort, the Director Security and Defence policy at European External Action Service.

Meanwhile in Moscow Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has informed British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss of Kiev’s reluctance to implement the Minsk Agreements, as Lavrov had underlined at a press conference following his talks with Truss.

“We thoroughly explained the situation around Kiev’s reluctance to implement the Minsk Agreements as the Ukrainian regime is not only unwilling to fulfil them but openly rejects them,” Lavrov said .

According to the top diplomat Russia also “explained what steps we are taking to convince those who have influence on the Kiev regime to make [Ukrainian President Vladimir] Zelensky and his government implement their obligations under the Minsk Agreements, which were enshrined in the UN Security Council’s resolution,” Lavrov continued.

Further Lavrov added that Moscow and London interpreted the Minsk accords in different ways.

“We have different interpretations of the Minsk Agreements though I don’t understand how it is possible to have different interpretations of what is written in black and white,” the Russian top diplomat explained.