On the occasion of the Sakharov Prize 2021 ceremony in Strasbourg on Wednesday, MEPs said they want to pay tribute to all defenders of human rights in Russia. Like Andrei Sakharov, the eminent nuclear physicist and Soviet dissident, MEPs said they “courageously fight for democracy, truth and political freedom, despite efforts by the Kremlin to…
The European Parliament will this week debate and vote on a resolution on the situation at the Ukrainian-Russian border. The Greens/EFA Group calls on the EU to impose additional economic sanctions and to exclude Russia from the international payment system SWIFT if Russia continues to escalate tensions. Ahead of Wednesday’s Eastern Partnership Summit, the Greens/EFA…
The Russian Federation is bringing the levels of tension to new heights. The previous crisis occurred in 2014 with the military invasion of Ukraine and a significant increase in military and hybrid activity by land, air, sea, and in the digital space. Since then, the international community has been systematically shaken by reports of Russian…
The situation at the Belarus border and the gas crisis are very much on the EU agenda. German MEP Reinhard Bütikofer, AFET coordinator for the Greens/EFA group in the European Parliament, has commented on the crisis. “The European leaders at their summit are challenged to deal with two blackmailing efforts against the EU which they must…
The EU is in danger of being “run over” by Russia and China in the Arctic, the EPP group has warned. “The EU must get much more involved in the Arctic. If we want to mitigate climate change, foster sustainable development and keep the Arctic a peaceful region, we cannot stand idly by anymore”, said…
The EPP Group has called on the EU not to recognise the elections in Russia. “What went on in Russia on 17-19 September was not elections. Russians were robbed of the possibility to have a say and freely choose their country’s destiny. The EPP Group calls on the EU and its Member States to not…
The Socialist Alternative movement has called on all rational and responsible Russian citizens to actively boycott the State Duma elections scheduled for September 17-19, 2021. It seems that this call is gaining traction with citizens who support opposition parties. With two days to go before the elections to Russia’s national parliament, the State Duma, it…
The EU has decided to prolong the sanctions targeting those responsible for undermining or threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine for a further six months until 15 March 2022. The existing restrictive measures provide for travel restrictions, the freezing of assets, and a ban on making funds or other economic resources available…
Summer is traditionally a calm time in the political life of states. While the world is recovering from the next wave of coronavirus, politicians in some countries seek to shift the news emphasis from the pandemic to their own personalities. Europe never tires of “delighting” its citizens with new events in political life. The diplomatic…
The European Parliament Foreign Affairs Committee says the EU must push back against Russia’s aggressive policies while laying groundwork for cooperation with a future democratic country. In a new assessment of the direction of EU-Russia political relations, MEPs made clear the Parliament distinguishes between the Russian people and President Vladimir Putin’s regime. The latter is,…
