MEPs face European Parliament backlash over controversial meeting with Russian lawmakers

A gathering betwixt European lawmakers and MPs from the Russian State Duma connected Wednesday sparked condemnation among different MEPs, who said it violated the European Parliament's rules and demanded swift disciplinary measures.

Pina Picierno, the Italian socialist MEP and European Parliament vice president, told Euronews that, according to the rules, each members indispensable enactment solely successful the wide involvement of the EU and should not bring the European Parliament into disrepute done their conduct.

"It is truthful unacceptable that idiosyncratic members, without immoderate governmental oregon organization mandate, prosecute successful nonstop relations with the Russian Duma, the legislative assemblage of an aggressor authorities taxable to European and planetary sanctions," Picierno said.

"Such initiatives not lone interruption the tone of our rules of process but besides hazard being exploited by Kremlin propaganda to disagreement and weaken the European Union," she explained.

Green Party MEP from Germany, Sergey Lagodinsky, said MEPs should not prosecute with sanctioned politicians.

"I volition beryllium clear: the Russian State Duma is straight complicit successful the aggression against Ukraine, successful the repression of Russian citizens, and successful the dismantling of antiauthoritarian freedoms. Its members see sanctioned individuals and known propagandists of Kremlin policies," Lagodinsky said.

He recalled that the European Parliament has repeatedly and unequivocally condemned Russia’s warfare of aggression and stands successful solidarity with Ukraine.

"As vice-president of Greens/EFA connected Foreign Affairs, I powerfully region myself from this 'event '. Any effort to normalise “parliamentary contacts” with the State Duma is an effort to normalize warfare of aggression," Lagodinsky said.

Kartheiser defends his call

The video telephone betwixt MEPs and Russian deputies took spot connected Wednesday and was led by Fernand Kartheiser, an MEP from Luxembourg.

Kartheiser, who is not affiliated with immoderate groups successful the European Parliament, stated successful a property merchandise that the gathering aimed to measurement up dialog betwixt Europe and Russia, peculiarly regarding Ukraine and sanctions.

Kartheiser said that though the gathering lacked a ceremonial organization character, it was a wide motion that MEPs privation to re-establish a dialog with Moscow.

“This is simply a symbolic gathering for us. We indispensable not deviate from dialogue. On the contrary, we should sermon unneurotic the issues of Ukrainian settlement, the ways to found lasting peace, to reconstruct cooperation, and to antagonistic the arms race,” Kartheiser said.

Earlier this year, Kartheiser was expelled from the parliamentary group of European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) for visiting Moscow and having meetings with officials there.

From the Russian Duma side, the delegation was led by Leonid Slutsky, president of the committee connected planetary affairs, who thanked the European participants for the dialogue, according to media reports.

Kartheiser refused Euronews' petition to disclose the database of participating MEPs, stating that this could harm their careers oregon activities wrong the European Parliament.

Euronews has reached retired to governmental groups for accusation connected whether their MEPs were portion of the call.

However, the organiser of the talks, Kartheiser, insists connected continuing to talk with the Russian lawmakers.

In his effect sent to Euronews, helium stated that aft the video conference, respective much MEPs contacted him to explicit their involvement successful the adjacent gathering with Russian lawmakers.

Most Russian deputies nether sanctions

The European Parliament chopped ties with the Russian Duma successful 2014, aft the annexation of Crimea.

Therefore, members who prosecute with Russian diplomatic oregon governmental entities are acting successful their sole idiosyncratic capacity, the property work of the Parliament told Euronews.

In enactment with the renewed rules, MEPs person to state meetings with immoderate representatives of the countries concerned, adjacent if taxable to sanctions, the spokesperson warned.

Right now, 351 members of the State Duma who voted successful favour of recognising the unilateral independency of non-government-controlled areas of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine — a determination Brussels urged Russia to reverse — are nether EU sanctions.

Diplomatic and authorities unit from Russia and Belarus person been banned from entering the European Parliament since March 2022, close aft Moscow's full-scale penetration of Ukraine successful precocious February of the aforesaid year. This besides applies to each Russian Duma deputies who are taxable to EU sanctions.

Slutsky, who headed the Russian delegation for the Wednesday talks, is likewise connected the EU sanctions list.