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A senior European Union official is doing damage control, pitching a hard-line policy on Russia after his excessive meekness during a recent trip to Moscow provoked a backlash in Brussels.
The former Spanish official s meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov was controversial even before his departure. European officials, angry over the imprisonment of anti-corruption activist Alexei Navalny, suspected that EU high representative Josep Borrell’s visit would look like acquiescence to such human rights abuses. His performance in Moscow, where he seemed anxious to avoid offending his Russian hosts while tolerating their public criticism of U.S. and European policies, confirmed those fears and put Borrell on the defensive upon his return home this week.