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Moscow’s envoy to EU summoned over Russian countermeasures

According to the Spokesperson for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy of the EU Peter Stano, Brussels views the Russian sanctions against EU officials as lacking "any legal justification"

BRUSSELS, May 3. /TASS/. The EU has summoned Russia’s permanent representative to the EU Vladimir Chizhov for a meeting with the secretary general of the European External Action Service after Moscow imposed retaliatory sanctions against European officials, Lead Spokesperson for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy of the EU Peter Stano told a briefing in Brussels on Monday.

"Yes, the Russian ambassador has been summoned, he should be received in the afternoon by the secretary general of the European External Action Service," he said, reiterating that Brussels views the Russian sanctions against EU officials as lacking "any legal justification" which was previously expressed in statements by the European Commission, the European Council and the European Parliament.

The Russian mission to the EU confirmed that the envoy had been summoned in response to a request from TASS.

On April 30, the Russian Foreign Ministry issued a statement that included a list of EU citizens prohibited from entering Russia. The blacklist features President of the European Parliament David Sassoli, Jorg Raupach, Berlin’s chief prosecutor, Ivars Abolins, Chairman of Latvia’s National Electronic Media Council, Maris Baltins, Director of the Latvian State Language Center, Jacques Maire, a member of the French delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Asa Scott, Head of the CBRN Protection and Security Division at the Swedish Defense Research Agency, Ilmar Tomusk, Director General of Estonia’s Language Inspectorate, and Vera Jourova, Vice President of the European Commission for Values and Transparency.

Russia’s action followed the European Council’s sanctions against six Russian nationals of March 2 and 22, 2021.

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