While in the American capital, Tusk reaffirmed that the EU and the US see eye-to-eye on Russia, snuffing out the earlier whispers that a gap was emerging. What’s more, he also expressed hope that the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, or TTIP, would make significant progress this year, which would put Europe on the path to a free trade agreement with the US.
However, while both leaders showed an upbeat mood in pursuing the policy of isolating Russia, Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo, meeting his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov, called for restraint in the policy of EU sanctions against Moscow.
Ernest Sultanov, expert and coordinator, MIR-initiative independent think-tank:
“The sanctions are just a tool to strengthen the EU but they should not last for long”
“European bureaucracy is benefiting from the sanctions, but not EU member states”
Tadeusz Iwinski, Vice-chairman, Foreign Affairs Committee, Polish Seim:
“What was difficult to understand for EU members during Donald Tusk’s visit to Washington was that he spoke of Russia in terms of an enemy, while Obama spoke of Russia in terms of a partner”
Michal Mocek, Political observer, Pravo newspaper, Prague:
“European politics is the politics of compromise, and Europe will have to balance its position on sanctions”
