The Verkhovna Rada Committee on Foreign Affairs and Inter-Parliamentary Cooperation

Appeal of the committee to national parliaments of foreign states, international organizations and their parliamentary assemblies on the Russian Federation's attempts to enfeeble or abolish the international sanctions imposed in response to the armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine under the pretext of fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.

At its 22 April meeting, the committee unanimously approved the text of the "Appeal of the Committee on Foreign Affairs and Inter-Parliamentary Cooperation to national parliaments of foreign states, international organizations and their parliamentary assemblies on the Russian Federation's attempts to enfeeble or abolish the international sanctions imposed in response to the armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine under the pretext of fighting the COVID-19 pandemic".

In this appeal, the committee called on the international community

• to counteract the spread of misinformation and the attempts of the Russian Federation to escape accountability for its gross violations of international law under the pretext of combating the COVID-19 pandemic,
• (ii) to further maintain a clear position that the only legitimate reason for lifting the sanctions is cessation of the armed aggression against Ukraine by the Russian Federation and de-occupation of the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine;
• (iii) to respond to new cases of violation of international law by the Russian Federation, encroachment on the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine and other countries by increasing pressure upon the aggressor state and imposing new sanctions combined with more restrictive measures.