European Parliament: The EU Should Be Prepared not to Recognize Duma Elections

The European Parliament on Wednesday approved recommendations for the European Commission and the European Council on the issue of relations with Russia. The document contains harsh rhetoric against the Russian authorities, calls for tougher sanctions and a possible refusal to recognize the legitimacy of the elections to the State Duma. It is of a recommendatory nature - the EU executive structures are not obliged to be guided by it. The voting results were announced on Thursday. 494 deputies supported the document, 103 were against and 72 abstained. The document lists numerous violations of human rights and international law, which, according to the European Parliament, are committed by the Russian authorities. Among them are the annexation of Crimea, Russian propaganda and disinformation in the EU countries, legislation on "foreign agents", the poisoning and arrest of Alexei Navalny, repression against political and civil activists, sabotage in the Czech Republic, and so on. Russia in the document is called "an integral part of the European continent", which has historical, economic, cultural and human ties with the EU and has the potential to develop as a democratic state. The European Parliament sees the difference between "the Russian people and President Putin's regime, which is a stagnating authoritarian kleptocracy." It is emphasized that the proposed measures are directed against the Russian authorities and not against the people of Russia. Accordingly, the proposed strategy should be based on both containment of the Kremlin's actions and dialogue with the citizens of Russia. The EU strategy, according to the author of the document, should be aimed at supporting freedom and democracy, as well as ensuring the security of the EU and its neighbors. Dialogue with the Russian authorities is possible on issues of mutual interest. At the same time, the EU should not compromise on values ​​such as human rights. The document says that the EU should be ready to urge to exclude Russia from the SWIFT system. It again contains a call to abandon the operation of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline. There is also a call to consider the possibility of including Russia in the list of countries with a high risk of money laundering and to prepare sanctions against high-ranking officials, oligarchs and associates of Vladimir Putin "for violations of human rights or systematic repression of democratic forces." At the same time, it is proposed to strengthen cooperation with Russian civil society, support the education of Russian students in the EU, facilitate the receipt of visas by Russians, and provide assistance to political refugees from Russia. It is also proposed to create a Russian-language "Free Russian Television". The document also contains a call to investigate the murder of Boris Nemtsov and the poisoning of Alexei Navalny. The EU should also be prepared not to recognize the upcoming elections to the State Duma as legitimate and to exclude Russia from international parliamentary assemblies - in the event that the elections are recognized as rigged and conducted in violation of democratic principles. The document also contains a call to condemn Putin's attempts to remain in the presidency after May 7, 2024, when his current term expires. This is not the first time the European Parliament has adopted a resolution calling for tough measures against the Russian authorities. As a rule, the real policy of the EU member states and the EU itself towards Russia is much softer. Elections to the Russian State Duma will be held on September 17-19. 14 parties participate in them, candidates from various political forces are fighting for victory in constituencies. At the same time, dozens of Alexei Navalny's supporters and other independent candidates were not allowed to participate in the elections.