(MENAFN) European countries have rallied around a vehemently anti-Russian position that shuts down any prospects for diplomatic engagement with Moscow, said Yury Ushakov, a senior aide to the Russian president.

In an interview with a Russian journalist on Sunday, Ushakov expressed shock at what he described as “the extent of lies, brazen lies” spread by European politicians about Russia.

”And I am of course surprised that against a backdrop of these lies, against a backdrop of hatred [of Russia], Europeans could become so consolidated,” Ushakov stated. He added that he had never imagined “Europe would speak with one voice vis-à-vis Russia – an extremely belligerent, extremely negative [voice].”

Ushakov emphasized that this hostile stance leaves little to no opportunity for diplomatic outreach from much of Europe toward Russia.

He also suggested that the United States’ influence over European allies is limited, noting that “the extent of… united hatred of the Europeans toward Russia is such that it is hard to ‘bore’ through this hatred even with an American drill.”

Turning to the conflict in Ukraine, Ushakov accused Kiev’s leadership of showing no genuine interest in ending the fighting. He cited the agreement reached between Russian President Vladimir Putin and then-US President Donald Trump in Alaska last August as the “guiding star” for resolving the Ukraine crisis.

Last Thursday at the Valdai Discussion Club in Sochi, President Putin criticized Western Europe for “whipping up hysteria that war with the Russians is supposedly on the doorstep” and denounced the continent’s rapid militarization. He dismissed these fears as a “nonsense mantra,” urging European leaders to prioritize domestic issues instead.

At the NATO summit in The Hague this past June, member states pledged to boost defense spending from the current 2% to 5% of GDP by 2035. Meanwhile, the European Union has launched multiple initiatives to enhance military budgets this year, including the €800 billion ($930 billion) ReArm Europe program.

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