"Whether we like it or not, Russia is back. [Russian President Vladimir] Putin has huge popularity because he represents a return to the international arena of the [previously] belittled country, a superpower in the past that wants to be like that again. And yes, it has nuclear weapons," Borrell told El Pais newspaper.
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He added that Europe had a common stance toward Russia.
Russia's relationship with the West deteriorated in 2014 over the crisis in Ukraine and Crimea's reunification with Russia following a referendum. The West, including EU member states, imposed several rounds of anti-Moscow sanctions, while Russia has repeatedly refuted allegations of interference in Ukraine's affairs, warning that the Western restrictions were counterproductive and undermining global stability.
