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Russia on Friday banned European Parliament President David Sassoli, European Commission Vice President Věra Jourová and other senior European officials from entering the country in retaliation for EU sanctions on Russians.
The Russian foreign ministry listed Sassoli and Jourová — the Commission vice president for values and transparency who has led an EU campaign against disinformation from Russia and China —among eight officials barred over sanctions imposed by the EU last month.
“The European Union continues a policy of illegitimate, unilateral restrictive measures against Russian citizens and organizations. In March 2021 alone, six Russians were subjected to illegal EU restrictions,” the ministry said in its statement.
The other officials banned by Moscow included Jörg Raupach, Berlin’s public prosecutor, a Swedish Defence Research Agency official, three officials from the Baltic states, and Jacques Maire, a member of the French delegation at the Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly.
The ministry did not say why those specific officials had been targeted but its statement referred to sanctions imposed by the EU on March 2 and March 22.
Reacting to the entry ban, Sassoli wrote on Twitter: “Apparently, I’m not welcome at the Kremlin? I had suspected it a bit… No sanctions or intimidation will stop the [European Parliament] or me from defending human rights, freedom, and democracy. Threats will not silence us. As Tolstoy wrote, there is no greatness where there is no truth.”
Manfred Weber, chairman of the European People’s Party group in the Parliament, expressed solidarity with Sassoli and Jourová and said: “Mr Putin, you can sanction as many MEPs as you want, but you won’t silence us.”
This article has been updated.
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