From 4 to 6 February 2021, Josep Borrell Fontelles, High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission in charge of a stronger Europe in the World travelled to Russia, for the first visit by an EU High Representative/Vice-President since 2017.

The visit provided an opportunity to have wide-ranging discussions with Sergueï Lavrov, Russian Minister for Foreign Affairs and other Russian interlocutors ahead of the European Council's strategic discussion on EU-Russia relations scheduled for March 2021. Josep Borrell addressed Russia's actions in Ukraine and in the neighbourhood, the importance of continued implementation of the Iran nuclear deal, the global response to the coronavirus pandemic, climate change, among others. The recent poisoning, detention and sentencing of opposition politician Alexei Navalny, which was condemned as politically motivated and counter to Russia's human rights obligations by the European Union in a Declaration by the High Representative on behalf of the EU, as well as the concerns over fundamental freedoms and human rights in Russia more broadly, was also on his agenda. During his visit, Josep Borrell had meetings with representatives of Russian civil society organisations and members of the academic community in Moscow.

This video shows the joint press conference given by Josep Borrell Fontelles and Sergueï Lavrov, after their first meeting and the following question and answer session.