Luxembourg MEP is recruiting counterparts for trip to Russia tied to Putin forum – Politico

Right-wing Luxembourg politician Fernand Kartheiser has launched a campaign to recruit members of the European Parliament for a trip to Russia to meet deputies of the Russian State Duma (lower chamber of the Russian parliament).

Source: Politico, Brussels-based politics and policy news organisation, citing a letter from Kartheiser

Quote: "In the letter, Fernand Kartheiser – who was kicked out of the European Conservatives and Reformists group in the Parliament last year over a previous trip to Moscow – asks any interested EU lawmaker to contact his office directly about the trip, which would include a meeting 'in person' with members of the Russian State Duma on 3 June.

The meeting is slated to take place on the margins of the St Petersburg International Economic Forum, an annual gathering frequently attended by Russian President Vladimir Putin." [N.B. Ukrainska Pravda does not recognise Putin as president – ed.]

"'Assistance with finding suitable accommodation can be provided, and personalised invitations to the St Petersburg Economic Forum will follow in due course,' reads the letter, which was sent to a broad list of EU lawmakers."

Details: Kartheiser declined to tell Politico whether any MEPs had responded to his proposal. He only said that the trip to St Petersburg was being privately funded and that its purpose was "undisputable".

"More and more high-level European politicians call openly for a renewed dialogue with Russia on ministerial level, in Belgium, Germany, France, Italy, Luxembourg, Croatia, etc. So it is only a question of time until the EU policy will change," he said.

Meanwhile, Lithuanian lawmaker Petras Auštrevičius from the centrist Renew Europe group described the campaign as "an open attempt to recruit" MEPs "for working for Russia as informants, influencers and more".

He added that the initiative was an attempt to "weaken the West" under the guise of "political diplomacy".

Politico noted that MEPs do not face penalties for personal contact with Russians or for travelling to Russia. However, top EU officials, including European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Kaja Kallas, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, avoid direct contact with Russian officials, arguing that Moscow has no serious intention of achieving peace in Ukraine.

A spokesperson for the European Parliament said lawmakers "who engage with Russian diplomatic or governmental entities are acting in their sole personal capacity".

Background:

• In March 2014, the European Parliament officially suspended formal dialogue with Russian parliamentary structures in response to Russia's armed aggression against Ukraine.
• In spring 2022, shortly after the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Russian and Belarusian officials were completely banned from entering European Parliament buildings.

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