Maria Zakharova was expected to accompany Sergey Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, to the island for a two-day OSCE (Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe) ministerial council meeting set to begin on Thursday.
The Malta meeting will be Lavrov’s first visit to an EU member state since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine but will now go ahead without his spokesperson.
Zakharova’s visa was rescinded after apparent objections were raised by some EU countries.
“Three countries raised objections, just as Russia last year objected to a particular country assuming the OSCE chairmanship," a spokesperson for the Maltese Foreign Ministry told the Malta Independent newspaper.
The three countries are, according to the Times of Malta are Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. The three have a history of strained relations with Russia and Estonia had its 2023 OSCE chairmanship blocked by Russian objections.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said that Malta had informed Zakharova her visa had been withdrawn due to “circumstances outside our control” and labeled the decision as “unprecedented.”
Zakharova has been a fierce defender of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. As a consequence, the EU sanctioned her in 2022 for being a “central figure of the government propaganda” and for “having promoted the deployment of Russian forces in Ukraine.”
To enter Malta, which is part of the EU's Schengen zone, she would have required a special exemption that depends on the approval of EU member states.
Although similar exemptions have been granted without issue in the past, this time three EU member states opposed her exemption, the Maltese Foreign Affairs Ministry confirmed.
Lithuania and Latvia announced earlier on Wednesday that their foreign ministers would skip the Malta summit in protest of Lavrov’s attendance, sending lower-ranking officials instead. Poland, which refused Lavrov a visa when it chaired the OSCE in 2022, also objected to his presence in Malta.
Polish and Czech delegates to the meeting have threatened to walk out if Lavrov attends.
