You're reading: Parliamentarians call on EU to preserve Russia sanctions

BRUSSELS– A group of influential Members of the European Parliament has called on the leadership of the European Union to preserve the sanctions, which were imposed on Russia in response to its aggression against Ukraine.

The MEPs addressed their statement to President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Vice-President of the Commission Josep Borrell and President of the European Council Charles Michel.

There have been calls to alleviate the existing sanctions regimes, in order, sanctioned countries could obtain necessary goods, including medical equipment, to fight the coronavirus (COVID-19) disease, the MEPs said.

“Furthermore, there were calls for a global ceasefire to contain the pandemic and to provide healthcare services in the front lines. We, members of the European Parliament, are in a full support of necessity for solidarity and for peaceful resolution of on-going conflicts. However, with this letter we want to highlight the fact that not all existing sanctions prevent sanctioned countries from obtaining medical equipment and essential goods. Particularly, we seek to rebuff any possibility of reviewing or lifting the EU sanctions against the Russian Federation due to the pandemic,” reads the document.

The MEPs said that Russian authorities by pursuing such public relation campaigns as sending poorly applicable humanitarian aid to Italy, as well as misinterpreting the statements by the UN officials, might try to sway the position of the EU and its Member States leadership regarding the sanctions.

“Firstly, we would like to stress that the EU imposed sanctions on Russia, do not prevent Russia from duly protecting its citizens’ health and contributing to the global fight against the coronavirus. The EU sanctions do not target trade in medical goods or other goods essential for public health. On the contrary, the sanctions include an embargo on trade in arms, an export ban for dual use goods for military end use and end users, and restrictions on access to certain sensitive technologies particularly in the oil sector,” they said.

The co-authors of the statement said that “secondly, the European Parliament along with other the EU institutions and the EU Member States, has clearly and repeatedly communicated that the sanctions against Russia can only be reviewed if substantial progress in implementation of the Minsk agreements is achieved.”

“Based on the latest developments under the Normandy four format, Russia has yet to match the constructive steps taken by Ukraine in order to build trust and move closer towards the implementation of the Minsk agreements. Thirdly, Russia remains hard to be trusted. Worrisome statements by Russian doctors accusing Russian government of covering up the coronavirus outbreak in the country, thus, not providing needed support for the healthcare sector to treat the patients, not to speak about the absence of national efforts to flatten the coronavirus curve, were recorded,” reads the document.

The European External Action Service (EEAS) has also revealed “an immense Russian disinformation campaign aimed to discredit the EU and to divide our Union from within by questioning our solidarity and ability to tackle this crisis together,” the MEPs said.

“Such disinformation and fake news cannot be ignored and left without an appropriate response from the EU side. We call upon you to ensure that any Russian attempts to get the EU sanctions lifted would be met with a demand of signs of a goodwill leading towards a full implementation of the Minsk agreements,” the document said.

In connection with this, the MEPs think that “for the beginning, Russian side should demonstrate a commitment for securing a lasting ceasefire in the Donbas region and providing access to Ukrainian doctors and WHO representatives to the temporarily occupied territories to counter COVID-19.”

“Though not related with the Minsk agreements, but crucial for restoring a mutual trust,” they said.

Similar actions should be applied in Transdnistria, South Ossetia and Abkhazia, where Moldovan and Georgian authorities should be allowed to provide healthcare services and means to contain the COVID-19, the MEPs said.

They also noted that the issue of Ukrainian citizens who are “illegally detained for political reasons on the territory of the Russian Federation and on Ukrainian territories, temporarily occupied by Russia, should be addressed by securing safe, free of torture, and with access to medical services imprisonment environment.”

“Full exchange of prisoners among the conflict sides has to be initiated,” they said.

“It must be clearly communicated that it is not the EU sanctions that jeopardize containment of the pandemic in Russia, but the actions of Russia itself. As long as Russia denies and hides data about the actual COVID-19 spread in the country, distorts the global tragedy for its political benefits, and continues aggressive actions against the neighboring states and their population, the EU sanctions are among the only available measures to keep Russia accountable and to deter from further violation of the international law and attempts to undermine our European values and democracy. We trust you to support our position and to do everything in your power to maintain the EU sanctions over Russia in force and strictly linked to the full implementation of the Minsk agreements,” the MEPs said in the statement.

The document was signed by 19 MEPs representing the largest deputy groups, including Petras Austrevicius, Anna Fotyga, Radoslaw Sikorski, Marek Belka, Viola von Cramon-Taubadel, Sandra Kalniete, Andrus Ansip, Andrius Kubilius, Rasa Jukneviciene, and others.