EU-Russia relations took a new blow today, as European Parliament president David Sassoli, Commission Vice-President Yurova and 6 member states employees were to be banned from entry to Russia, as part of an on-going spat following EU sanctions over the imprisonment of opposition figure Alexey Navalny.
European Council President Charles Michel, Commission President Ursula Von Der Layen and Sassoli himself condemned ‘in the strongest way possible, today’s decision by Russian authorities to deny entry into the Russian Federation of eight EU citizens’.
In a joint statement, the three Presidents said this was ‘unacceptable, without legal standing and completely baseless, directly targeting the EU and not just the people involved’.
It is quite the impressive proof, they added, of how the Russian Federation prefers to clash with the EU instead of agreeing to overturn the negative course of their bilateral relations.
‘The EU retains the right of appropriate action as a response to the Russian decision’, the EU stressed.
