The Standing Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) has not granted a demand of the Russian delegation to change the PACE rules to allow the Russian Federation to return to work in the Assembly, Head of the Ukrainian delegation to PACE, MP of the Petro Poroshenko Bloc faction Volodymyr Ariev has said.

"The debate with the Russians ended, they demanded a change in the rules of the PACE for their return, they were told – come and talk, participate in discussions. They were talking beautifully that they want a dialogue, but they made a show of not remaining at the discussion of the escalation in Donbas. The PACE Standing Committee made no decision concerning the Russian delegation," Ariev wrote on his Facebook page on Friday.

He stressed that changing the rules to please the Russian delegation would destroy respect for the Assembly and its influence.