"Russia says it\u2019s ready to end ties with the European Union"

" \n Russia has said it is ready to cut ties with the European Union, according to a\u00a0fragment of an interview\u00a0published on Russia\u2019s foreign ministry website Friday morning. The comments mark yet another escalation in tensions between the two sides. \n \n\n \n When asked if Russia was heading for a break with the European Union, Russia\u2019s Foreign Affairs Minister Sergey Lavrov said: \u201cWe proceed from the fact that we are ready (for that). In the event that we again see sanctions imposed in some sectors that create risks for our economy, including in the most sensitive spheres,\u201d according to a translation of the comments by Reuters. \n \n\n \n \u201cWe don\u2019t want to isolate ourselves from global life, but we have to be ready for that. If you want peace then prepare for war,\u201d Lavrov added. \n \n\n \n Neither the Russian foreign affairs ministry nor the European Commission , the executive arm of the EU, was immediately available for comment when contacted by CNBC on Friday. \n \n\n \n The relationship between Russia and the EU hit a new low\u00a0last week when the EU\u2019s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, visited his counterpart in Moscow. It has since been described as a \u201chumiliating\u201d trip by analysts. \n \n\n \n Borrell wentto voice the EU\u2019s opposition to the arrest of Alexei Navalny, a fierce critic of Russian President\u00a0Vladimir Putin. However, he accused Russia of putting together \u201can aggressively-staged press conference\u201d during his trip. \n \n\n \n In remarks to the press,\u00a0Lavrov said\u00a0that, \u201cthe EU is not a reliable partner, at least at the current stage.\u201d Borrell failed to address that comment, which spark danger among some European lawmakers. \n \n\n \n In addition, Borrell learned via Twitter during a meeting with Lavrov that Russia had expelled three EU diplomats for attending demonstrations in support of Navalny. \n \n\n \n \u201cAn aggressively-staged press conference and the expulsion of three EU diplomats during my visit indicate that the Russian authorities did not want to seize this opportunity to have a more constructive dialogue with the EU,\u201d Borrell said in a blog post two days after his trip. \n \n\n \n As a result, he has suggested that the EU should impose fresh sanction on Russia \u2014 a decision that needs to be approved by European governments. \n \n\n \n It would not be the first time that Russian companies and individuals have been sanctioned by the EU. Their relationship has deteriorated significantly since Russia\u2019s annexation of Crimea in 2014, but ultimately their ties are hugely important to both given their shared economic energy and strategic interests. \n \n\n \n Analysts have told CNBC that the latest differences between Moscow and the EU could put pressure on the gas pipeline being built from Russia to Germany, Nord Stream 2. \n \n\n \n The project has been sharply criticized, including by the United States, which has imposed sanctions on companies working on the pipeline \u2014 a stance that new U.S. President Joe Biden has shown no indication of changing. \n \n\n \n \n \n\n \n www.cnbc.com \n "

"Russia says it\u2019s ready to end ties with the European Union"

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