'Fascist state' - Borrell’s team denies Russia slur as Kremlin claims it 'nullifies'

The press secretary for the EU’s Foreign Policy Chief has denied Josep Borrell called Russia a 'fascist state' on Monday.
Borrell made the alleged comments in Spanish, via videoconference at the European Parliament in Prague.

"We do not have a concrete plan to defeat fascist Russia and its fascist regime, but my task is more modest and is to help Ukraine in a unified way,” he was quoted as saying by the interpreter.

Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov responded that by Borrell’s choice of words, as reported in the media, the EU chief "completely nullifies himself as a diplomat".

However, Borrell’s representative, Peter Stano, argued that he was misquoted: “We have checked it. The High Representative did not say the words as they sounded in the translation." Stano said that Borrell had been referring to another MEP’s opinion, rather than giving his own.