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EU's Tusk calls for "united" position against Russia among member states

Xinhua, October 27, 2016 Adjust font size:

European Council President Donald Tusk called for unity among all member states of the European Union (EU) in their relations with Russia here on Wednesday.

"There is no alternative. If we want to be effective with Russia, we must stay united as the EU," Tusk made the remark in a plenary debate with Members of the European Parliament (MEPs), which mainly focused on EU-Russia ties and a free trade deal with Canada.

He said that the EU leaders' assessment of EU-Russia relations at a summit in Brussels last week was "without illusions," accusing Russia of attempting to divide the 28-member bloc.

"Disinformation campaigns, cyber-attacks, political interference - as Russia tries to weaken and split the EU, we need to stick to our values and stand united," he said, adding that the EU should push for "a stronger position on Russia's role in Syria."

In addition, he warned that "all possible options should be considered to stop hostilities in Syria."

At last week's summit Tusk made a similar call for EU member states to continue in their efforts to put pressure on Russia.

In response Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Tuesday dismissed Tusk's accusation as "baseless" and "Russophobic," and said that it would have negative impact on trade and investment between Russia and Europe, according to Russian news service RT. Endit