Russian diplomats and other government officials are no longer welcome in the European Parliament. The same goes for representatives of ally Belarus, helping Russia in the war in neighbouring Ukraine.
“In the house of democracy, there is no place for those who destroy the democratic order,” said President Roberta Metsola.
The European Parliament has been outspokenly critical of Russia for some time. Fierce reactions to, among other things, the Kremlin’s dealings with opposition leader Alexei Navalny, several MEPs were already subject to Russian sanctions.
The EU Parliament normally regularly receives foreign guests, including from countries with which the European Union has a difficult relationship. But Russian and Belarusian representatives are not coming in for the time being because of the war against Ukraine.
So the ban takes effect immediately and applies to all sites in Brussels, Strasbourg and Luxembourg.
