The global network of parliamentarians United for Ukraine (U4U) has called on European Union member states to follow Latvia's example and impose national restrictive measures against Russian businessmen Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman, against whom the EU has not extended sanctions.
"We welcome the principled position of the Republic of Latvia and its decision to impose national restrictive measures against Usmanov and Fridman. We call on all member states that share our concerns to follow Latvia's example without delay," said a statement by members of United for Ukraine – chairpersons of national parliamentary committees on foreign affairs, European affairs and European integration – provided to Interfax-Ukraine by Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze, chair of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Ukraine's Integration into the European Union and a member of the European Solidarity faction.
The document said the removal of the two individuals from the sanctions list raises serious concerns about the consistency, reliability and effectiveness of EU restrictive measures policy. In the signatories' view, any decision to remove an individual should be based on a thorough assessment of the criteria for inclusion, the evidence underlying that decision and circumstances that could be legally relevant to a review.
"We are not aware of any such circumstances in these two cases. Neither of them has distanced himself from the Kremlin or condemned Russia's war against Ukraine," the statement said.
According to the parliamentarians, decisions to include or remove individuals from sanctions lists should be made exclusively on the basis of the applicable legal framework, evidence and established review procedures.
"Such decisions should not be made as part of any political, diplomatic or bilateral arrangements unrelated to the substantive legal criteria for imposing sanctions. Easing sanctions in exchange for concessions unrelated to Russia's actions undermines the very logic of this regime," the statement said.
The statement was signed by 46 parliamentarians from 17 countries – Lithuania, Ukraine, Poland, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Slovakia, Albania, the Czech Republic, Italy, Denmark, Austria, Bulgaria, Sweden, Latvia, Belgium and France – as well as nine members of the European Parliament. The signatories include Klympush-Tsintsadze and Oleksandr Merezhko, chair of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Foreign Policy and Interparliamentary Cooperation and a member of the Servant of the People faction.
As reported, the European Union did not extend sanctions against Usmanov and Fridman. The relevant decision was published in the Official Journal of the European Union on Sept 22.
