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Washington, D.C. – Today, the top four Members of the US House of Representatives on European Affairs sent a bipartisan letter urging Ambassador Stavros Lambrinidis, Head of the Delegation of the European Union to the United States, to work with the US on sanctioning Putin’s close associate Yevgeniy Prigozhin. The letter calls on the European Union to harmonize their sanctions regime with our own and join the United States in using the full economic toolkit at their disposal to push back on Mr. Prigozhin and his associates.

“I am deeply concerned by the continued efforts of Russian national Yevgeniy Prigozhin to interfere in the elections and domestic affairs of the United States and our closest allies,” said Lead Republican McCaul. “I hope the EU will join the United States in holding Prigozhin and his associates accountable for their attempts to further Russia’s malign goals around the world through tough economic sanctions. We must continue to show a united front against the Putin regime and his cronies, like Prigozhin, who do his bidding.”

“Yevgeniy Prigozhin is a criminal who must be held accountable for his unceasing efforts to undermine the sovereignty and democratic freedoms of countries around the world, including here in the United States,” said Subcommittee Chairman Keating. “We cannot allow Prigozhin to operate freely on behalf of the Kremlin any longer, and to do so we must work together closely with our partners and allies in Europe to leverage our collective economic tools to stop him and confront Putin’s malign influence abroad. We know Russia is already working to interfere in our 2020 elections and is now actively spreading disinformation about COVID-19 to fuel distrust in the West. Prigozhin and his associates put people’s lives at risk, whether through disinformation and hybrid warfare or support for dictators and military operations around the world. When we have faced such common threats before, our transatlantic coalition has demonstrated we are able to solve problems together, so I look forward to working hand in hand with our close friends and allies in Europe to finally cut Yevgeniy Prigozhin off from the resources and freedoms he then uses against us.”       

“Yevgeniy Prigozhin is an enemy of democracy and of the United States and its allies. As we continue to learn about his ongoing nefarious activities on behalf of the Kremlin, including the continued operation of troll farms that sow division and discord among our societies, we must hold Prigozhin and the Russian Government accountable for this behavior. We cannot stand for their sustained interference in our democratic processes and I look forward to continuing to work closely with our European friends to defend the values and institutions that we all share,” said Chairman Engel.

“Out of respect for our shared interests in democracy and individual liberty, we urge our European Union allies to place strict sanctions on individuals who blatantly engage in malign activities,” said Subcommittee Ranking Member Kinzinger. “The United States has already taken action on Yevgeniy Prigozhin for his role in the 2016 election interference, and now it’s time for our European partners to stand with us. A united front is critical in letting bad actors in Russia and others around the world know that this behavior will not be tolerated, and carries major repercussions.”  

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