The possibility that Moscow may withdraw from the continental organization quite frightens Western politicians. Such a turn "will become a negative event for Europe," said Secretary General of the Council of Europe Thorbjorn Jagland. "We will get Europe without Russia.

This would be a big step backwards for Europe, "he added.. To keep the Russian Federation in the Council of Europe, the organization is ready to initiate a discussion on the lifting of sanctions from our country, the Financial Times. European officials are not going to question their principled position and recognize the "annexation" of the Crimea. At the same time, it is necessary to soberly assess the powers of the organization that are to protect human rights in any place where people live, including in Russia and in the Crimea, Jagland. Against the potential abolition of restrictive measures, Ukraine immediately acted. Permanent representative of this country to the Council of Europe, Dmitry Kuleba, put an ultimatum: if the Council of Europe goes to normalize relations with Moscow, then Kiev will reconsider its ties with this organization. The abolition of sanctions discredits the Council of Europe, the Ukrainian believes. Russian senator Alexei Pushkov called the readiness of European politicians to abolish restrictions imposed on our country "by a major defeat of the Russophobic lobby". If Moscow decides to leave the Council of Europe, then only the European organization will lose it. "This would be the biggest loss for the CE, and not just the financial. Much more than for Russia, "- wrote the politician in his Twitter. Colleague Pushkov, First Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council Committee on Foreign Affairs Vladimir Jabarov believes that the issue of lifting anti-Russian sanctions in Europe will increasingly "gain momentum" in the near future, but it is difficult to predict when a decision will be made on this matter. "The issue of sanctions is not decided by the Council of Europe, but the EU decides after all, the Foreign Minister of the European Union takes this decision," the senator said.. Last year, Russia ceased to apply for accreditation of its own delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. This happened after in 2014-2015. domestic parliamentarians were deprived of the right to vote at sessions and the opportunity to participate in the work of the statutory bodies of the assembly because of the position in the Crimea. Moscow offered various options for overcoming the crisis, but the assembly did not go into negotiations. At the end of June this year, Moscow decided to suspend the payment of part of the contribution to the budget of the Council of Europe until the restoration of the delegation's powers.

For the treasury of the organization, this has become a tangible loss, as our country is one of the main contributors.

Individual forces in PACE attempt to restore Russia to full membership in the organization. The head of the group "United European Left" in the Tini Cox assembly recently announced that the organization committee is going to invite the Russian delegation to a meeting in Paris on December 14 to exchange views on the future of the Council of Europe and the role of its assembly.