European Union representatives, including German parliamentary president Julia Klöckner, staged a walkout on Wednesday during an international meeting in Geneva to protest the presence of a top Russian official amid ongoing tensions over the war in Ukraine.
The protest was directed at Valentina Matviyenko, chairwoman of the Federation Council, the upper chamber of Russia’s parliament, who is widely regarded as one of President Vladimir Putin’s closest allies and a vocal supporter of the invasion of Ukraine.
Matviyenko, 76, is under Western sanctions and was attending the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) summit, a gathering of parliamentary presidents held every five years to promote dialogue and peace.
Switzerland, which hosted the meeting, noted that exemptions for sanctioned individuals were granted under international conference protocols.
Klöckner criticised Russia’s participation, stating, “With its barbaric war of aggression against Ukraine, Russia is trampling on international law. We do not pay attention to the cynical attempts by the Russian delegation to distort history and reverse the roles of perpetrator and victim.”
Matviyenko had earlier used a separate forum on Monday to speak critically of Ukraine, a move seen in Moscow as a propaganda victory.
Also present at the event were Leonid Slutsky and Pyotr Tolstoi, both lawmakers from Russia’s lower house, the Duma, who are also under Western sanctions.
(dpa/NAN)