Luxembourg MEP Fernand Kartheiser has expressed bewilderment after European Parliament President Roberta Metsola ordered an evaluation of potential sanctions against MEPs who travelled to Saint Petersburg.
Metsola has instructed a parliamentary supervisory body to investigate whether Kartheiser – and possibly other MEPs – violated the Parliament's code of conduct by attending the Economic Forum hosted in the Russian city in early June.
Kartheiser has faced criticism in the past for his Russia-friendly stance and was previously excluded from his parliamentary group in Strasbourg for that reason. In a statement released on Tuesday, he expressed his surprise at Metsola's letter, which he said he only became aware of after being contacted by members of the press.
The Luxembourg MEP stressed that his position on Russia has been publicly known since 2025. He added that he fails to understand why the Parliament is pursuing this course of action at a time when dialogue with Russia is once again being sought at both European and national levels.
