U.S State Department Calls On FIDE To Maintain Russia Sanctions As Vote Looms

Two days before the General Assembly of the International Chess Federation (FIDE) prepares for a possibly pivotal vote to decide whether to lift sanctions on the Russian and Belarusian chess federations, the U.S. State Department has issued a statement calling for maintaining the ban.

Following Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine in 2022, FIDE voted to suspend the Russian and Belarusian chess federations from international competitions. The U.S. strongly supports this decision, which upholds the rights of neutral chess players from Russia and Belarus to compete as individuals without being pawns of the Kremlin and Belarusian regimes

The International Chess Federation should not break precedent from the IOC. While chess players in Ukraine are being killed by Russia's forces, there is no place for the Russian and Belarusian flags at chess tournaments. We urge national chess federations to continue to #StandWithUkraine.

While chess players in Ukraine are being killed by Russia's forces, there is no place for the Russian and Belarusian flags at chess tournaments. We urge national chess federations to continue to #StandWithUkraine.

The U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine, Bridget A. Brink, shared on X/Twitter:

The United States opposes efforts to lift Russia’s suspension from @FIDE_chess. Russia’s suspension from this and other international competitions is a direct result of its brutal, ongoing full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

— Ambassador Bridget A. Brink (@USAmbKyiv) September 20, 2024

A statement was also posted by the U.S. State Department's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs:

Following Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine in 2022, @FIDE_chess voted to suspend the Russian and Belarusian chess federations from international competitions. The U.S. strongly supports this decision which upholds the rights of neutral chess players from Russia and Belarus to… pic.twitter.com/d7U70Y4Yyq

— Educational & Cultural Affairs—U.S. Dept. of State (@ECAatState) September 20, 2024

The support from the U.S for Ukraine comes one day after GM Magnus Carlsen, on stage at the FIDE Gala receiving an award as the Greatest of All Time, voiced his opposition to the proposal. Carlsen used his acceptance speech to honor the 13th World Champion GM Garry Kasparov, a vocal critic of Vladimir Putin, and to express his belief that lifting the sanctions would be a mistake.

The statement also aligns with those of numerous Western chess federations and the European Chess Union (ECU), which has also urged the FIDE General Assembly to uphold the sanctions. 

The proposal to lift sanctions, submitted by the Kyrgyz Chess Federation, would restore the full membership rights of the Russian and Belarusian federations, which were restricted following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

The FIDE Council decided to bar the federations from participating in official team events and using their national flags and anthems in tournaments, aligning with the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) guidelines for neutral participation.

Meanwhile, Carlsen's comments did not go unnoticed in Russia, as Sergey Smagin, the Vice President of the Russian Chess Federation, was quick to criticize the Norwegian for making "negative comments about Russia." He also suggested that Carlsen pay back the prize money he had won while playing in Russia, according to Telecomasia.net.

If the proposal goes to a vote at the FIDE Congress on September 22, many expect that it will have enough support to be passed.