“The European Union does not see the time as suitable for bilateral contacts with Russia, but such issues remain the responsibility of states,” said European Foreign Office spokesman Peter Stano.

Commenting on the meeting between Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his Hungarian counterpart Péter Szijjarto on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, he said: “As for bilateral meetings, they ultimately remain the powers and responsibilities of each member state. I can only remind you that the European Union has an opinion about the inexpediency of communication at the EU level or at the bilateral level with Russian representatives during the UN General Assembly in New York.

It is noteworthy that during the above-mentioned meeting, Lavrov discussed with his Hungarian counterpart the issues of cooperation between the two countries in the energy sector, taking into account the current unfavorable international situation.