A meeting between European lawmakers and Russian State Duma MPs has drawn condemnation from other MEPs for violating European Parliament rules. Pina Picierno and Sergey Lagodinsky criticized the meeting, emphasizing that engaging with sanctioned Russian politicians undermines EU solidarity and risks Kremlin propaganda exploitation. Fernand Kartheiser, the meeting's organizer, defended the dialogue, arguing for the necessity of communication with Russia regarding Ukraine. The European Parliament has previously cut ties with the Russian Duma due to the annexation of Crimea and maintains sanctions against many of its members.