Russia: Declaration by the High Representative on behalf of the EU on the imposition of restrictive measures against eight EU nationals

The European Union condemns the decision of the Russian authorities to ban eight European Union nationals from entering the territory of the Russian Federation.

This entry ban includes the President of the European Parliament David Sassoli, Vice President of the European Commission Věra Jourová, as well as six EU Member States’ officials from Estonia, France, Germany, Latvia and Sweden. The European Union stands in solidarity with all of these individuals. Russia’s actions will not deter the European Union from continuing to stand up for human rights, democracy and international law, nor from holding those responsible for violations and abuses of human rights to account.

This decision, which directly targets the European Union and its Member States, is unacceptable, devoid of any legal justification and baseless. It serves to underline that the Russian Federation has so far chosen the path of confrontation instead of seeking to reverse the negative trajectory of EU-Russia relations.