BRUSSELS
The EU-Russia Summit is being held in Brussels on Tuesday amid the ongoing crisis in Ukraine, which has further escalated tensions between the two sides.
European Council President Herman Van Rompuy, European Commission President José Manuel Barroso, and EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton will be in Brussels for the summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
The two sides have been at odds since the Eastern Partnership Summit in late November, when Ukraine - under intense pressure from Moscow - refused to sign the Association Agreement and Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement (DCFTA) with the EU.
The EU intends to emphasize the strategic and political dimension of its relations with Russia, according to diplomatic sources.
In addition to Ukraine, free trade between the EU and Russia is also expected to be among the topics on the agenda. Russia is the EU’s third biggest trade partner, with a daily trade volume of around one billion euros.
The summit will also cover Russia's human rights record, which has been highly criticized by Brussels, as well as the Syria crisis and the latest developments regarding Iran's nuclear program.
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