Russia says EU remains confrontational but US rhetoric has changed

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Thursday that the European Union was still pursuing a confrontational course towards Moscow but the United States had shifted its rhetoric towards realism. Her comments reflected Moscow's warming ties with Washington as part of a rapprochement between presidents Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump - a rapid shift that has unnerved Ukraine and its European allies.

Zakharova said "European elites" were driven by Russophobia and European countries were rearming because they were not interested in peace.