Russia has left the Council of Europe’s human rights groups and announced the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday as Russian President Vladimir Putin said recent talks with Ukraine have not yet made progress.
The Council of Europe oversees the European Court of Human Rights. The European Court of Human Rights hears proceedings from individuals alleging that their rights have been infringed. Escape from the Russian body will prevent Russian citizens from bringing proceedings to court.
Russia’s Deputy Marshal, Pyotr Tolstoy, said a letter from Foreign Minister Sergeĭ Viklov announcing Russia’s withdrawal had been handed over to the Chair of the Council of Europe.
“It is entirely the responsibility of NATO countries to break the dialogue with the Council of Europe. NATO countries have used the topic of human rights to realize their geopolitical interests and attack our country,” Tolstoy said. Said resignation. According to the state-funded RT, the letter.
He added that Moscow is not willing to pay the Council of Europe an annual fee because of “unprecedented sanctions and political pressure” on Russia. In February, the Council of Europe suspended Russia’s representation following the invasion of Ukraine.
In 2014, Russia was suspended by the Council of Europe after annexing the Crimean, but was re-approved in 2019. The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has criticized the 2019 decision, saying Russia’s reinstatement would encourage Moscow.
The Russian invasion has led to allegations of war crimes in reports that Ukrainian citizens have been killed and many residential areas have been targeted by the military. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees said Tuesday that at least 3 million people had fled Ukraine to neighboring countries in the past three weeks or so.
As the Kremlin said on Tuesday, Putin discussed the situation in Ukraine with President Charles Michel of the European Council.
The Kremlin said in a statement that President Putin had informed Michelle of Russia’s views on peace talks with Ukraine in a call on Tuesday, while Ukrainian authorities still “have a serious intention to seek a mutually acceptable solution. Not shown. “
Michelle told Putin on Twitter that “the urgent need to stop Russia’s Fratricide war against Ukraine” and “we must stop the indiscriminate bombardment of Ukrainian civilians by Russian troops.”
“Russia must urgently enable humanitarian access and safe passage,” he said. Said..
Last weekend, Russian and Ukrainian officials said there seemed to be progress during the negotiations, and Russian officials said a peace agreement could come within a few days. In previous rounds of negotiations, little results were obtained.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Jack Phillips is the latest news reporter for The Epoch Times, based in New York.