Putin yet to determine Russia's position on Council of Europe membership

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - Russia has not determined yet its position regarding its membership in the Council of Europe, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday.

The final decision is expected to be made by President Vladimir Putin, Peskov said at a daily press briefing in Moscow.

“So far, there have been no statements by the president in this regard. When the position is finally determined -- especially since the situation with the Council of Europe is very obvious -- the president will inform about it,” Peskov noted.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal on Monday demanded the Council of Europe to expel Russia and impose a no-fly zone to protect not just the security of his country but also of all Europe.

In response, the Russian Foreign Ministry published a statement, saying Moscow will not take part in the work of the Council of Europe anymore because the EU and NATO, having the majority in the organization, abuse their numerical dominance to oppress dissenters.

Peskov said Russia and Ukraine continue peace talks via video conference, and that the work is not going smoothly.

“In this case, (what is) positive is the continuation of this work itself,” he noted.

The spokesman refused to comment on the results of the talks, saying “it is too early to discuss anything publicly,” including the issue of inviting some external parties as guarantors.

Peskov said he had not heard about the law on “collaborationism” signed on Tuesday by Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, providing for up to 15 years in jail for any kind of cooperation with Russia.

He admitted that Russia is experiencing difficulties because of the Western economic sanctions, however, he said, this brings the opportunity for development.

Peskov drew attention to an alleged lack of reaction from the Western politicians about victims among civilians in Ukraine's rebel regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, noting that 20 people were killed and 28 severely wounded in the city of Donetsk by a missile launched by the Ukrainian military.

“I will not give any assessment to this, I just want to state it and to call on everyone to pay attention to this,” he added.

Peskov said that despite the events in Ukraine, the talks on security guarantees between Russia and the West are still underway, while some “new accents” should be considered.

He also said sanctions against Russia affect the country’s interests under the 2015 Iran nuclear deal and that they should also be taken into consideration.

Russia's war on Ukraine, which began on Feb. 24, has drawn international condemnation, led to severe financial sanctions on Moscow, and spurred an exodus of global firms from Russia.

At least 636 civilians have been killed and 1,125 injured in Ukraine since the beginning of the war, and over 3 million refugees have fled to neighboring countries, according to UN estimates.