Luxembourgish MEP leads recruitment drive for trip to Russia – POLITICO

BRUSSELS — A right-wing Luxembourgish politician is leading a drive to recruit fellow members of the European Parliament to travel to Russia, according to a letter seen by POLITICO.

In the letter, Fernand Kartheiser — who was kicked out of the European Conservatives and Reformists group in the Parliament last year over a previous trip to Moscow — asks any interested EU lawmaker to contact his office directly about the trip, which would include a meeting “in person” with members of the Russian State Duma on June 3.

The meeting is slated to take place on the margins of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, an annual gathering frequently attended by Russian President Vladimir Putin. Despite limiting his public appearances of late, the Russian leader, who was born and raised in St. Petersburg, is due to participate in the forum this year, according to his spokesperson Dmitry Peskov.