May 10, (Sputnik) – The US adheres to a “wrong and dangerous tone” in its policy towards Russia, former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder said during the conference “All Quiet on the Eastern Front?” held in the Evangelical Academy Bad Boll.
According to Schröder, relations between Russia and the West deteriorated during the presidency of George W. Bush, when there was a reorientation of Washington’s policy towards Russia.
The US has always viewed Russia as its “global competitor.” This is confirmed by a provocative phrase of President Obama, who said that Russia is “only a regional power,” Schröder argued.
The politician stressed that US tone is wrong and dangerous, adding that Russia is a direct neighbor to the EU and that EU-Russia relations are a “matter of existential nature.”
“NATO and the EU, on the one hand, and Russia, on the other, are not enemies. They should become partners again,” Schröder said.
According to the politician, security in Europe can be guaranteed only with Russia, not against Russia. Both parties should build their relations on dialogue and cooperation, otherwise Europe “will not be a safe home for us and future generations,” he said.