On the 29 January, Russian journalists were not admitted to the briefing of the European Union’sHigh Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Catherine Ashton, in Kiev, despite the fact that they had sent a request to the representatives of the European Union.

We can hardly be satisfied with the explanations of Catherine Ashton’s Press Secretary, received through diplomatic channels, that the Russian journalists were not allowed in because of exclusively “logistic and security complications”, which allowedthe organisation of the presence of “only a certain number” of mass media representatives at the event.

We appeal to the EU to approach the formation of the pool of journalists who have access to press conferences, with the participation of leaders of bodies of the European Union, more carefully in the future. We think that the situation in which the Russian community is deprived of the opportunity to learn about the European Union’s assessments of current events in Ukraine, straight from the source, hardly corresponds with the freedom of the press principle which is promoted so much by Brussels.