MEP Ždanoka, who represents the Latvian Russian Union party in domestic politics, no longer belongs to any political group. Until now, she had been part of the European Greens–European Free Alliance group in the EP.
Representatives of the group said that Ždanoka's withdrawal was voluntary, but it is related to her position on the Russian war in Ukraine.
"Despite our repeated calls, Tatjana Ždanoka refused to condemn the invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation. This fundamental disagreement makes it impossible to keep our longstanding collaboration with her within the Greens/EFA political group," a press release said April 4, while thanking her for her work and contributions during her 18 years in the Greens/EFA group.
As previously reported numerous times by LSM, Ždanoka is notorious for her unstintingly pro-Kremlin position on all matters and the EP group has long been criticised for welcoming her into its ranks. Russia's war in Ukraine appears to have finally forced a decision.
Ždanoka was recently among only 13 MEPs who voted against the European Parliament's resolution condemning Russia's aggression in Ukraine.
Formally, Ždanoka left the faction voluntarily after talks with the group's leadership. They concluded that the two sides had such different positions on the war in Ukraine and that it was therefore no longer possible to continue cooperating.
🇺🇦 We condemn the massacre of innocent civilians in #Bucha, which was under a month-long Russian military occupation.
— European Greens (@europeangreens) April 4, 2022
✊ We call on the International Criminal Court to immediately begin war crime investigations.
