Russia had been sanctioned – effectively, stripped of its voting rights in PACE – in 2014 and 2015 following the occupation of Crimea and military involvement in eastern Ukraine. In the summer of 2017, Russia stopped its mandatory payments to the Council of Europe and in a public statement has stated it will resume them only if the Russian delegation is readmitted in its full rights. The fact that many PACE members are ready to discuss Russia’s return without the country fulfilling any of the demands to end aggression against Ukraine, which PACE had expressed in numerous resolutions, allow to speak of financial blackmail of the institution, and of a crisis of values. In his recent interview with European Pravda Dmytro Kuleba, Ukraine’s Permanent Representative to Council of Europe, dwelled upon the risk of Russia’s comeback to PACE.
According to him, at its next session scheduled to be held in autumn, PACE is going to vote a resolution on what is officially known as harmonization of the Assembly’s and Committee of Ministers’ rules.
