Exchange of views on the impact of western sanctions on Russia two months after their adoption with the participation of Ivan FEDOROV, Mayor of Melitopol and Maria MESENTSEVA, Deputy Head of the Committee on EU integration of the Verkhovna Rada; Olena KHOMENKO, Chairperson of the Sub-committee on External Economic Relations and Efficient Use of International Aid of the Verkhovna Rada.

Situation following Russia's aggression and invasion of Ukraine - Exchange of views with the participation of Ivan FEDOROV, Mayor of Melitopol, Maria MEZENTSEVA and Olena KHOMENKO, Members of the Verkhovna Rada - AFET Committee

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Ivan Fedorov, the Mayor of Melitopol First of all, Mr McCalister, the deputies, it's a very great issue for me to be today here. And of course, I want to meet you again. But I don't I don't take it in my mind that after one month when I met with you, the war start. And it's a very dangerous situation for not only for Ukraine, but for all civilians.

Ivan Fedorov, the Mayor of Melitopol Now, I would like to know like to tell you in a concise manner about my story in 2014, my country, Ukraine and my family made their own European choice. Our team started building an island of Europe in our city. We started renovating school, kindergartens, medical establishments, and we started building the best possible roads. So that our residents could indeed feel that life is getting better in our cities and in our country.

Ivan Fedorov, the Mayor of Melitopol What we have succeeded with was changing the mentality of the people. They started perceiving themselves and feeling as free Europeans, and we could see it reflected in the actions of their residents when many thousands of people protest against, armed to the teeth. Russian soldiers armed to the teeth in the South of Ukraine when they go to central squares of our cities. And I say to the Russians: "out, get out of Ukraine, we don't want you here". This is a true testament to the fact that Ukraine has indeed changed. It is a truly European country.

Ivan Fedorov, the Mayor of Melitopol I don't see your colleague here. Does he really believe that I was captured because of my funding for some radical parts of Ukraine that I've never heard about and never seen? Does he really believe there is Nazis in Ukraine? There's nothing like that in Ukraine. Nobody sees that, but the Russian propaganda and the killers, Putin's killers. Many dreams of millions of Ukrainians today were shattered, have been shattered because they see how cities are being  destroyed, how hundreds of civilian children have been killed and many thousands of civilians and military personnel have been killed.

 Melitopol' s fate is now under big question because teachers are leaving, doctors are leaving. I mean, leaving these buildings that we built for hospitals and schools. Do you really believe that these are Nazis who are living free democratic cities of Europe? That's absolutely not. So today it's not a conflict in Ukraine. It's a full scale war not only against Ukraine, but against the entire civilised world.

Ivan Fedorov, the Mayor of Melitopol That was the war that had been unleashed by Putin in 2014. But he actually unleashed a total and full fledged war in Ukraine in 2022. We should all be united, all be united around the victory of our country because there's significant threat, if we don't do it in a timely fashion. There is a threat that European countries will also see war, war will come to European cities and households.

Ivan Fedorov, the Mayor of Melitopol One of your colleagues today was talking about the need to live in comfort for European families. You know, Ukrainians in Ukraine today are not thinking about a comfort. They're thinking about their survival. And that has to be stopped as soon as we can through all possible means available to US sanctions, pressure, weapons, help with weapons to Ukraine with all possible and impossible means. We have to help Ukraine today. Ukraine, the Ukrainian nations are true heroes. Our soldiers are true heroes. We're united in such a way that we have never been united before. And truly, with your help, I'm sure we will defeat the Russian Federation.

Maria Mesentseva, Deputy Head of the Committee on EU Integration of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Dear Chairman, I always remember being here as an expert lobbyist for Ukraine's stagiare at every other capacity, but never thought I'll be here talking about the full scale invasion. But I'll be less emotional than my colleague Ivan, but more technical as a representative of the European Integration Committee, together with which, and you, dear colleagues in the newly established format, which Mr. Cumulus has proposed in the working group on sanctions, we review.

Maria Mesentseva, Deputy Head of the Committee on EU Integration of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Of course, we can debate whether within this eight years of war, the sanctions worked. Well we are seeing the increase of cost of a daily life of Russians, and it means that they do work. We see that they are in need of the daily products which are absent. We see that the ministers are calling on production of daily things which were never been in the state budget plan.

Maria Mesentseva, Deputy Head of the Committee on EU Integration of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Of course, the oil and gas is a very oil and gas embargo is a very ambitious plan. We are coming from Rome just yesterday. We have meetings there. We are highly impressed with the decision of the Italian government that we think that many others have to follow of course. Bloke in the banks. Colleagues, Swift was in this house for so many times. We call for Swift, we call for Swift.

Maria Mesentseva, Deputy Head of the Committee on EU Integration of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Swift has only six banks. It doesn't have yet the biggest two who are also a part of this crimes, who are funding and preceding the assets, the monetary funds for buying tanks, oil and all the rest to proceed with the war. Disconnecting all the banks from Swift is definitely our goal. Blocking all the banks from access to European financial system is our mutual goal. Of course, colleagues, let's not forget about small things like blocking roaming, like technical things by blockin Russia today and other channels. But they are not just over. There's another eight which are remaining and they are spreading along the propaganda. So we do have issues in telecom as well.

Maria Mesentseva, Deputy Head of the Committee on EU Integration of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Of course, it's not last and not least, but cyber sanctions. And many colleagues have mentioned that, that the ban on the assets is essential. We have to understand what are the legal instruments of extracting this assets, freezing them, but more importantly, to sending them to a restoration fund, not only for Ukraine, but all partners who are supporting now us with your taxpayers money.

Maria Mesentseva, Deputy Head of the Committee on EU Integration of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Individual sanctions, of course, will follow. But we know that the daughter of Putin wasn't found  where she was residing. That's a question for the sharing of information, sharing of the personal information, and stopping all the citizens and all the individuals who are supporting the regime to stop enjoying the civilised world and the normal course of life. So sanctions do work. We can enhance them. We salute the next package of it. And on behalf of the government and parliament, we can still cooperate even more and at a bigger scale. My colleague Olena can elaborate a little bit more on technical issues.

Olena Khomenko, Chairperson of the Sub-committee on External Economic Relations and Efficient Use of International Aid of the Verkhovna Rada With regard to sanctions, we would like to underline that both sanctions imposed with the connexion of military aggression against Ukraine should also be imposed on Belarus. We would like to call on all member states to proceed with diplomatic isolation and limitation of Russian diplomatic staff in your countries, expelling Russia's ambassador and continue expulsion of its diplomats from European Union and its member states.

Olena Khomenko, Chairperson of the Sub-committee on External Economic Relations and Efficient Use of International Aid of the Verkhovna Rada Imposing a visa regime for holders of Russian diplomatic passports and blocking EU visas and residency permits and revoking existing ones for Russian officials and their families. Expulsion  of Russia from international organisations and associations and the closure of representative offices of key Russian companies abroad as it was done by the Council of Europe, the first international organisation which expelled Russia from from the organisation.

Olena Khomenko, Chairperson of the Sub-committee on External Economic Relations and Efficient Use of International Aid of the Verkhovna Rada We also need close to close and bond Russian state affiliated institutions, such as network of the Russian centres of science and culture because cultural ties and cultural connexions are also is kind of weapon used by Russia. We are thankful to Venice Biennale for its clear position and for a distancing from the Russian delegation officials. However, there will be more attempts from Russian side to organise more cultural events and they will try to bring the impact and spread disinformation and propaganda.

Olena Khomenko, Chairperson of the Sub-committee on External Economic Relations and Efficient Use of International Aid of the Verkhovna Rada We also would like to draw your attention that Russian channels are still operating in the territory of European member states. Sputnik and Russia Today is is not enough to be blocked. There are more Russian channels which are spreading their disinformation through satellite providers in the European Union.

Olena Khomenko, Chairperson of the Sub-committee on External Economic Relations and Efficient Use of International Aid of the Verkhovna Rada Also with regard to cyber sanctions, creating new sanctions against Russia for cyber crimes committed against Ukraine in view to prevent, deter and respond to malicious cyber activities used by Russia state bodies and Russian led illegal hacking teams to undermine functioning of Ukraine's democratic institutions, financial and banking sectors, critical infrastructure, free and independent media.

Olena Khomenko, Chairperson of the Sub-committee on External Economic Relations and Efficient Use of International Aid of the Verkhovna Rada And last but not the least and very important is sanctioning, individual sanctions. All officials and top state managers and their families who hold federal and regional positions, and thus support barbaric regime and its crimes. It is also important to sanction so-called experts, influencers, bloggers, artists and musicians because they also contribute a lot into these criminal actions against Ukraine.

Datum der Veranstaltung	20.4.2022
Reference:	I223900V
Format:	16:9 format
Copyright:	© European Union
copyrightYear:	2022

Situation following Russia's aggression and invasion of Ukraine - Exchange of views with the participation of Ivan FEDOROV, Mayor of Melitopol, Maria MEZENTSEVA and Olena KHOMENKO, Members of the Verkhovna Rada - AFET Committee

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