European Parliament: More sanctions of Russia’s Wagner Group needed

BRUSSELS — Last week, the European Parliament passed a resolution calling for additional sanctions targeting Russian military contractor Wagner Group.

European Parliament lawmakers voted in favor of the resolution on Thursday; 585 MEPs approved the resolution, 40 rejected it, and 43 abstained from voting.

The European Parliament indicated that the Wagner Group’s presence in many conflicts in the world, especially in Ukraine, Syria, Sudan, Mozambique, Libya, Central Africa and Venezuela, was the main reason behind the initial decision to impose sanctions.

Citing additional human rights abuses in Somalia and Cameroon, the resolution stated that more sanctions were necessary and called on all countries to cut ties with the Wagner Group, particularly the Central African Republic.

It also called on the European Commission to ensure no EU funds are not used by recipient countries to engage the services of human rights abusers like the Wagner Group.

The Parliament’s passage of the resolution comes after a 15 November meeting by EU Foreign Ministers which called for increased sanctions targeting the Wagner Group.