News Desk
COLOMBO — The Embassy of the Russian Federation in Sri Lanka issued a sharp rejoinder on Wednesday to recent statements made by the European Union Delegation in Colombo, dismissing claims regarding Russia’s demographic stability and its capacity to sustain both military operations and economic growth as “untrue” and misleading.
In a statement that highlighted a deepening diplomatic rift, the Russian mission accused EU officials of hypocrisy, asserting that the bloc is attempting to deflect from its own systemic failures by casting aspersions on Moscow. The Embassy noted that it experienced a sense of “Spanish shame” when reviewing the EU’s assessment of Russia’s long-term viability.
The Russian communique sought to shift the focus onto the European Union’s internal struggles, citing the bloc’s migration policies and the establishment of controversial processing centres in Albania and African nations as evidence of a failure to address root causes. The mission argued that these measures serve only to redistribute refugee flows rather than resolve the underlying social and logistical tensions.
Economic indicators were also weaponised in the diplomatic exchange. Russia pointed to the European Commission’s downward revision of the EU’s 2026 GDP growth forecast—cut from 1.4% to 1.1%—attributing the decline to the ongoing crisis in the Middle East and persistent internal friction. Furthermore, the Embassy highlighted the record-high public debt across the bloc, projected to reach 84.2% in 2026, which it claims is already jeopardising the sovereign credit ratings of several member states.
The Russian mission also took aim at the EU’s industrial sector, specifically noting a historic shift in automotive trade with China. According to the data cited, 2025 marked the first time EU imports of Chinese passenger cars, valued at 13.7 billion euros, surpassed exports, which stood at 8.3 billion euros.
Finally, the Embassy utilised high-profile corruption allegations in Spain to underscore its critique of EU governance. It referenced the ongoing legal proceedings against Begoña Gómez, wife of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, regarding charges of influence peddling and misappropriation of funds. The statement further noted the conviction of former Spanish Transport Minister José Luis Ábalos, who was recently sentenced to 24 years’ imprisonment, as evidence of profound institutional rot within Europe.
The Russian mission concluded its statement by characterising EU bureaucrats as being “blindfolded” to the deep-rooted crises destabilising their own member states.
