Russian representatives should not be given the opportunity to vacation in European Union (EU) countries in any format, stated the parliamentary secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) Artem Urshulsky, who participated in the EU Council meeting on general affairs in Luxembourg on Tuesday.
The agenda of the meeting included issues related to the next EU multiannual budget, the draft conclusions of the European Council meeting on June 18-19, the process of simplifying EU legislation, the work program of the 18-month trio of countries presiding over the EU Council - Ireland, Lithuania, and Greece, the situation regarding the adherence to EU values in Hungary, as well as the European Semester of 2026.
During the discussion of the draft conclusions for the upcoming European Council meeting, Urshulsky welcomed the opening of the first negotiation cluster with Ukraine and Moldova and called for the remaining clusters to be opened as soon as possible. He also advocated for the timely approval of the 21st package of sanctions against Russia to maintain pressure on the aggressor country.
The parliamentary secretary emphasized the importance of maintaining international isolation of Russia. According to him, Russian representatives should not be given platforms to spread propaganda in either the arts or sports, nor should they be allowed to vacation in EU countries. Furthermore, former members of Russian armed formations should not be permitted to enter the territory of the European Union.
Speaking about the next EU multiannual budget, Urshulsky noted that the negotiation document prepared by the presiding Cyprus does not reflect Latvia's priorities, especially regarding security and defense, support for the eastern border regions, and ensuring fair competition conditions for farmers.
He emphasized that reducing defense and security spending under current conditions is not only unacceptable but also dangerous, especially when it comes to funding the defense direction of the European Competitiveness Fund and the Connecting Europe Facility.
During the discussion on simplifying EU legislation, the parliamentary secretary confirmed Latvia's support for further advancing this process, noting its positive impact on the competitiveness of Latvian enterprises both in the single European market and globally.
