Leonid Slutsky: “To my great regret, the Council of Europe has turned from a pan-European organization into an appendage of the European Union, working according to American standards and patterns.
Where were the guardians of those very European values when it came to recognizing the bloody and absolutely illegal coup in Ukraine in 2014? Where were they when they burned people in Odessa and shot civilians – the elderly, women and children – in the Donbass? Or when the Kyiv regime brazenly refused to comply with the Minsk agreements? Time and time again we have seen the selective application of concepts such as the rule of law, human rights, democracy. Hypocrisy and double standards.
The Council of Europe was frankly inactive and silent when Ukraine was pumped up with weapons. Although even then it was obvious that this was leading to increased tension and a free hand for the neo-Nazi junta. Only Russia and its delegation in PACE were blamed for everything.
But the Council of Europe needs Russia no less than Russia needs the Council of Europe. We are ready only for equal partnership and dialogue. If Strasbourg puts cooperation with Moscow on hold, we will live without an organization that is increasingly losing its European identity and turning into a repeater of Washington’s messages.
