BRUSSELS, Oct. 25 (UPI) -- The European Union, backing off calling Russia an opponent of western interests, still expects the country to take tougher policy stances, it was reported.
Internal documents, prepared for EU governments before Friday’s EU-Russian summit in Portugal, show the EU member nations' attitude toward Moscow as both a partner and a competitor, the Financial Times reported Thursday.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to attend the summit, which comes amid EU concerns about issues such as Russian trade policy and human rights restrictions, and Russia’s belief that the U.S. and NATO allies upset the security balance in Europe, the newspaper reported.
In documents obtained by the Financial Times, the latest EU paper said "Russia is likely to be marked by an assertive foreign policy, tougher internal policies and heightened rhetoric" during the next six months.
"Approaching the end of President Putin’s mandate, the intention to prevent any return to what is now presented as the chaos of the 1990s has become more clear,” the document said.
The document said there is a risk that Russia would distance itself from Europe "in its social and political development and in its approach to the world.”
