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EU says Riga summit 'not anti-Russia beauty contest' | EU says Riga summit 'not anti-Russia beauty contest' |
(about 2 hours later) | |
An EU summit with six former Soviet states has opened in Latvia with one leader saying it is not a "beauty contest" to distance them from Russia. | |
European Council President Donald Tusk accused Russia of "aggressive and bullying tactics" towards its ex-Soviet neighbours. Ukraine and Georgia are among the EU's eastern partners. | European Council President Donald Tusk accused Russia of "aggressive and bullying tactics" towards its ex-Soviet neighbours. Ukraine and Georgia are among the EU's eastern partners. |
But Mr Tusk said the partnership was a "long haul", not aimed against Russia. | But Mr Tusk said the partnership was a "long haul", not aimed against Russia. |
It is overshadowed by Russia's role in the conflict in eastern Ukraine. | It is overshadowed by Russia's role in the conflict in eastern Ukraine. |
Mr Tusk said that if Russia was "a bit softer, more charming [...] perhaps it would not have to compensate its shortcomings by destructive aggressive and bullying tactics against its neighbours." | |
He said that the bloc was determined to support its poorer neighbours despite Russian pressure: "The European Union stays the course despite the intimidation, the aggression, even the war, of the last year," he said. | |
Russia out of G7 | Russia out of G7 |
Earlier, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the EU's Eastern Partnership was not "an instrument for pursuing an expansionist EU policy". | |
She said that there was a "crystal clear difference with Russia". | |
"We accept that the different Eastern Partnership nations can go their own way and we accept these different ways," she added. | |
Mrs Merkel also ruled out letting Russia rejoin the G7 group of major industrialised nations, saying "so long as Russia does not comply with basic common values, a return to the G8 format is not imaginable for us". | |
The G7 meets in Elmau, southern Germany, next month. | |
European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said Thursday's talks were not about EU membership for the six partnership countries - Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine. | |
He also said Greece - short of funds to pay back its international creditors - was "not on the agenda". | |
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko meanwhile insisted that he was "not disappointed" with a draft joint statement due to be released on Friday that will reaffirm the "European aspirations" of Ukraine and other countries. | |
Military training | Military training |
As the two-day Riga summit got under way, Georgia and Ukraine were conducting military training drills with US troops. | As the two-day Riga summit got under way, Georgia and Ukraine were conducting military training drills with US troops. |
Russia accuses the US and Nato of striving to pull its former Soviet partners into the Western camp, to Russia's detriment. | Russia accuses the US and Nato of striving to pull its former Soviet partners into the Western camp, to Russia's detriment. |
It is exerting pressure on ex-Soviet states to join a Moscow-led "Eurasian Union". | |
A far-reaching EU-Ukraine association agreement has angered Russia. | |
At the summit the EU is expected to approve €1.8bn (£1.3bn; $2bn) for Ukraine - the last instalment of a €3.4bn aid programme. | |
There is much alarm in Latvia and its Baltic neighbours Estonia and Lithuania over Russia's annexation of Crimea and support for pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine. | |
The three Baltic states were under Russian domination during decades of communism. | |
Georgians fear setback in Riga | Georgians fear setback in Riga |
Katya Adler: Strengthened Cameron heads for Riga | Katya Adler: Strengthened Cameron heads for Riga |
Ukraine talks of 'real war' with Russia | |