President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed disappointment with the decision of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe to approve the powers of the delegation of the Russian Federation without restrictions. The Head of State emphasized that during last week's official visits to France and Germany, he had personally discussed the issue of returning the Russian delegation with President of France Emmanuel Macron and Federal Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel.
“I tried to convince Mr. Macron and Mrs. Merkel that the return of the Russian delegation to the PACE is possible only after Russia’s compliance with the Assembly’s fundamental requirements. Unfortunately, our European partners did not hear us and acted differently,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on his Facebook page.
The Head of State is hopeful that supporters of the return of the Russian delegation, who explained their position with the need to protect human and civil rights, will also demand the return of the captured Ukrainian sailors, as today, on June 25, the term of fulfillment of the relevant order of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea expires.
“The main argument in favor of the return of the Russian delegation was the need to protect human and civil rights as the highest democratic values. I hope that in the issue of protecting democratic values no one had any thoughts about material values. I also want to see how supporters of the return of the Russian delegation to the PACE – an organization that has defended the rule of law in Europe for 70 years – will defend and demand another return – the return of captured Ukrainian sailors,” the President noted.
The Head of State also thanked the Ukrainian parliamentary delegation and friendly national delegations who courageously fought until the end to defend Ukraine's position.