A spokesperson for the European Union’s foreign policy, Peter Stano, clarified that Josep Borrell did not call Russia a fascist state and a fascist regime. He noted that a translator’s mistake led to those words appearing in some translations. The High Representative did not utter those terms as they sounded in the translation, and the spokesperson emphasized that Borrell merely echoed part of another participant’s language while commenting on a separate remark from a different participant. In plain terms, Borrell did not label Russia in that way; he referenced the testimony of a deputy who used the phrasing in question.
how it all started
The controversy emerged during a reflection on Borrell’s speech at a Prague inter-parliamentary conference in the European Parliament. The EU diplomat outlined plans for visa restrictions on Russians and discussed the effectiveness of sanctions, while stressing the importance of strengthening cooperation with NATO. After a moment, Borrell switched from English to his native Spanish to save time. A different translator took over, and the microphone was turned off after the broadcast ended. The words that circulated in media coverage suggested a stance on defeating fascist Russia, attributed to Borrell through the translator’s rendition rather than his exact spoken words.
Moscow’s reaction
The Russian president’s press secretary described the remarks as a fundamental misrepresentation, arguing that such statements undermine Borrell’s credibility as a diplomat. The Kremlin spokesperson asserted that any judgments about Russia and its relations would be seen as invalid if tied to those phrases. Additional comments from a foreign ministry spokesperson referenced a comparable situation with language in the United States, calling for careful phrasing when describing political attitudes in other countries. These responses illustrate how translation choices can influence international perceptions and diplomatic discourse.
“Everywhere”
Translation mishaps are not unique to this incident. In the past, a prominent NATO leader faced a similar issue when English to Polish translation altered a key point during a ministerial meeting about rapid reaction forces. The misquote altered the expected scope of deployment and caused international attention. The incident underscores the delicate role of translators in high-stakes diplomacy and the potential consequences of nuances in language during official remarks.