The European Parliament recognized Russia’s new State Duma as illegitimate and called on the EU to cease contacts with its deputies
Kyiv • UNN
The European Parliament called the elections to the Russian Federation’s State Duma fraudulent and did not recognize its new composition. The EU was urged to cease official contacts with the deputies.
The European Parliament adopted a resolution refusing to recognize the results of the elections to the Russian State Duma and the legitimacy of its new composition. The document was supported by 482 MEPs, Meduza reports, as cited by UNN.
Details
Forty-one MEPs voted against the resolution, while another 39 abstained. The document called the Russian elections "fictitious," noting that the voting took place in an atmosphere of fear and against the backdrop of a full-scale war against Ukraine.
MEPs emphasized that voters had no real political alternative, independent media and authoritative observers were absent, while critics of the Kremlin ended up in prison, in exile, or were killed.
The EU is urged to isolate Russian lawmakers
The European Parliament called on EU member states to refrain from official contacts with deputies of the new State Duma. The lawmakers also opposed Russia's return to full participation in international sporting and cultural events.
The lawmakers separately called for continued support for Russian democratic forces that openly oppose the war in Ukraine.
At the same time, the lawmakers link the normalization of relations between the EU and Russia to the fulfillment of a number of conditions. These include restoring Ukraine's territorial integrity, releasing prisoners of war, and paying reparations.