BERLIN -- Germany, Poland and Sweden on Monday each declared a Russian diplomat in their country 鈥減ersona non grata,鈥� retaliating in kind to last week's decision by Moscow to expel diplomats from the three European Union countries.
Russia had accused diplomats from Sweden, Poland and Germany of attending a rally in support of jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny, President Vladimir Putin's most high-profile political foe.
鈥淲e have informed the Russian Ambassador that a person from the Russian embassy is asked to leave Sweden,鈥� Sweden's Foreign Minister Ann Linde wrote on Twitter. 鈥淭his is a clear response to the unacceptable decision to expel a Swedish diplomat who was only preforming his duties.鈥�
Germany's foreign ministry said that Russia's decision to expel the European diplomats 鈥渨as not justified in any way,鈥� insisting that the German Embassy staffer had been acting within his rights under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations to 鈥渋nform himself about developments on site.鈥�
The ministry added that the decision was taken in close co-ordination with Poland, Sweden and the European Union's diplomatic service. Poland's foreign ministry tweeted that 鈥渋n accordance with the principle of reciprocity鈥� it considers 鈥渢he diplomat working at the Consulate General in Poznan as a persona non grata.鈥�
In a statement, EU lawmakers also appealed to 鈥渁ll EU Member States to show maximum solidarity with Germany, Poland and Sweden and take all appropriate steps to show the cohesiveness and strength of our Union.鈥�
The parliamentarians called for 鈥渁 new strategy for the EU's relations with Russia, centred around support for civil society, which promotes democratic values, the rule of law, fundamental freedoms and human rights.鈥�
The tit-for-tat expulsions come as EU officials ponder the future of the 27-nation bloc's troubled relations with Russia amid deep concern that their large eastern neighbour sees democracy as a threat and wants to distance itself further from the EU.
Moscow's decision last Friday was as an extra slap in the face for the Europeans because it came as the bloc's top diplomat - foreign policy chief Josep Borrell - was meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. Borrell said he learned about the expulsions on social media.
鈥淭he messages sent by Russian authorities during this visit confirmed that Europe and Russia are drifting apart,鈥� Borrell wrote in a blog on his return to Brussels. 鈥淚t seems that Russia is progressively disconnecting itself from Europe and looking at democratic values as an existential threat.鈥�
He said the trip left him 鈥渨ith deep concerns over the perspectives of development of Russian society and Russia's geostrategic choices,鈥� and the expulsions, which he requested be dropped, 鈥渋ndicate that the Russian authorities did not want to seize this opportunity to have a more constructive dialogue.鈥�
Some EU lawmakers criticized Borrell for going, or for not insisting on visiting Navalny, who was arrested in January when he returned to Moscow after spending months in Germany recovering from a poisoning in Russia with what experts say was the Soviet-era nerve agent Novichok.
Borrell tried to arrange a prison meeting through Lavrov, but was told to take it up with the courts.
鈥淚f you are familiar with the court procedures in Russia, you will know that it would take much more time than the duration of the visit,鈥� Borrell's spokesman, Peter Stano, said Monday.
Ultimately, the trip was never uniquely about Navalny. Russia is a major trading partner and the EU depends on the country for natural gas. It's also a key player in talks on curbing Iran's nuclear ambitions and has a central role in conflicts that impact on European interests, like those in Syria and Ukraine.
Borrell's aim was to 鈥渄eliver firm messages鈥� on the broad state of EU-Russia ties as much as on the imprisonment of Navalny, Stano said. EU foreign ministers will debate the issue on Feb. 22 in preparation for the bloc's leaders to weigh Europe's Russia strategy at a summit on March 25-26.
But the real challenge is overcoming the vast divisions between countries on how to approach Russia.
EU heavyweight Germany has strong economic interests there, notably the NordStream 2 undersea pipeline project, and German and other ambassadors are reluctant to rapidly wade into any sanctions battle over Navalny.
Despite calls for such punitive measures, particularly among some of Russia's close but small EU neighbours like Lithuania, Borrell said Friday that no country has officially tabled any proposals on who or what organizations to hit with sanctions.
Lorne Cook reported from Brussels. Jan M. Olsen in Copenhagen, Denmark, contributed to this report.
