Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s former press secretary Iuliia Mendel has been denied entry to the European Parliament in Strasbourg, on September 16, shortly before she was due to speak at a conference on Ukraine and peace.
The incident came three days after Zelensky imposed sanctions on Mendel, following a series of increasingly outspoken public criticisms of her former boss and his policies. The refusal came on the same day European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen delivered her annual State of the Union address in the same building.
Mendel said she directly linked the access restriction to the sanctions. She said she had been turned away without explanation, a few hours before she was due to appear.
On September 13, 2026, Zelensky imposed sanctions on Mendel and nine Russian nationals through a presidential decree, No. 901/2026, enacting a decision of Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council taken at the proposal of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU). According to Reuters, Ukrainian authorities accused those targeted of spreading Russian propaganda and supporting Russia’s aggressive position towards Ukraine.
The sanctions are set to remain in force for 10 years and include asset freezes and trade restrictions, a ban on moving capital out of Ukraine and the stripping of state decorations, the last of these indefinitely.
Mendel was the only Ukrainian citizen on the list. She was also made subject to a separate measure restricting access from Ukrainian territory to her Instagram, X and Facebook accounts.
Mendel, 40, served as Zelensky’s press secretary from 2019 to 2021. A journalist by training, she had previously worked for Ukrainian television channels including ICTV, Espresso TV, 112 Ukraine and Inter, and contributed to international publications including The New York Times, The Washington Post, Politico Europe, VICE, Spiegel Online and Forbes.
She left Zelensky’s administration in July 2021, with her departure presented as a professional transition. It was only after leaving his team that Mendel gradually became a public critic of her former boss, particularly over his handling of the war, peace negotiations and the exercise of presidential power.
She had published two memoirs about her time in office, Each of Us Is President and The Fight of Our Lives, both of which spoke warmly of the President and of her years at his side.
Her criticism has become increasingly outspoken in recent years, including in a May 2026 appearance on American journalist Tucker Carlson’s podcast, where she sharply criticised Zelensky and his administration.
During the interview, Mendel described Zelensky as “a dictator” and “the greatest obstacle to peace” in Ukraine, effectively accusing him of standing in the way of a negotiated settlement. She also made allegations concerning Zelensky’s inner circle and the conduct of peace negotiations, among them a claim that the Ukrainian delegation at the 2022 Istanbul talks had been ready to accept Russia’s terms.
The Office of the President and Ukraine’s foreign ministry rejected those statements as false and described them as disinformation. The ministry later urged French media to treat her remarks with caution.
Following the sanctions, Mendel rejected accusations that her public statements amounted to Russian propaganda. She argued that the measures were unconstitutional and politically motivated.
“Sanctions against Ukrainian citizens are unconstitutional, just like many of Zelensky’s other decisions. Volodymyr Zelensky uses them against anyone who advocates for peace in Ukraine,” Mendel said in a statement reported by Ukrainska Pravda.
On September 16 Mendel had been invited to speak at “Ukraine: Dare to Choose Peace – Diplomacy, Not Escalation”, an event organised by the Europe of Sovereign Nations (ESN), the European Parliament political group of which Germany’s Alternative for Germany (AfD) is the largest member party. The ESN is the smallest group in the chamber, with 27 of its 720 seats.
The conference was organised and moderated by Hans Neuhoff, an AfD MEP and member of the ESN group. AfD co-leader Tino Chrupalla was due to deliver opening remarks, while Roger Köppel, editor-in-chief of the Swiss weekly Weltwoche, was scheduled to join the discussion alongside Mendel.
The event was not an official institutional event of the European Parliament, although it was scheduled to take place inside the Parliament’s premises. MEPs and political groups may hold their own events there, with the institution providing security, rooms, interpretation and technical support without approving the content.
After being denied entry to the Parliament building, Mendel delivered her speech virtually. Neuhoff said the Parliament was not “an instrument of foreign governments”, while Chrupalla accused Parliament President Roberta Metsola of refusing dialogue.
Her exclusion raises broader questions about the relationship between freedom of expression and democratic institutions, as well as about the legitimacy of barring someone from entering the European Parliament on the apparent basis of sanctions imposed by a non-EU country after she publicly criticised its government.
The Parliament’s press service said it did not comment on individual cases, while pointing to the institution’s rules on access to its premises, according to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. An official of the EU legislature confirmed the refusal to the broadcaster on condition of anonymity. The institution has not publicly identified the specific security, administrative or legal grounds underlying the decision.
