The European Union has decided to significantly reduce the size of the Russian Federation’s permanent mission to the EU. As European Union Foreign Affairs Council High Representative Kaja Kallas announced following the meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council, the maximum size of the Russian mission in Brussels will be reduced to 40 people.
“I have decided to limit the maximum size of the Russian mission to the European Union to 40 people. We will not tolerate the abuse of diplomatic powers,” Kallas emphasized at a press conference.
According to her, this measure is aimed at preventing potential abuses of diplomatic status and is part of a broader strategy of pressuring Russia amid the ongoing war against Ukraine. The decision was announced on the eve of the fourth anniversary of the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine (February 24, 2022).
The Permanent Mission of Russia to the EU has already responded to Brussels’ move, calling it “unfriendly” and politically motivated. The diplomatic mission claims that the staff reduction is intended to hinder diplomatic contacts amid potential negotiations to resolve the Ukrainian conflict. The Russian side also linked this decision to the EU’s failure to agree on the 20th package of sanctions against Russia and to allocate a €90 billion loan to Kyiv for 2026–2027—Hungary blocked both measures.
The EU has previously repeatedly limited Russia’s diplomatic presence in member states, but this decision specifically concerns the mission to the EU institutions in Brussels and is the most severe in recent years.
The official timing of the restrictions and the procedure for staff reduction have not yet been specified.