Ukraine calls for boycott of Russian delegation led by sanctioned speaker Matviyenko at Geneva conference

The Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian Parliament) has called on its partners to boycott any events involving the Russian delegation led by Valentina Matviyenko at an international conference in Geneva. Matviyenko, the speaker of Russia’s Federation Council, is subject to sanctions.

Source: European Pravda; Olena Kondratiuk, Deputy Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada, who will represent Ukraine

Details: Kondratiuk urged other parliament speakers attending the Geneva conference to avoid any interaction with Matviyenko, who has been permitted to attend despite sanctions.

The deputy speaker added that she was shocked by the presence of the Russian delegation led by Matviyenko.

Quote from Kondratiuk: "I call on the participants of the speakers' conference to boycott any public events involving this international criminal, Matviyenko. Any joint photo or handshake with her means siding with the aggressor. And this will inevitably be used by Russian propaganda to justify the crimes of the Russian Federation... We cannot allow the shameful presence of criminals without any reaction.

Sanctioned individuals cannot fly freely to international gatherings! They cannot spread their narratives at the most representative venues. Otherwise what is the point of sanctions?"

More details: Kondratiuk said that at the conference, she plans to speak about what Ukraine is going through because of the war, remind people about the children abducted by Russia, and call for tougher sanctions.

Background:

• Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Heorhii Tykhii said that Matviyenko's place is "in the dock, not at international conferences", and that her admission to Geneva "is disgraceful and should never have happened".
• The World Conference of Speakers of Parliament meets once every five years. This is the first time it has been held since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
• Last year, North Macedonia and Malta, which chaired the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), allowed a Russian delegation led by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to attend a ministerial meeting, despite the war and sanctions.

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