Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday encouraged Maltese lawmakers to "see which Russians are trying to hide" using the EU country's so-called "golden passport" scheme.
"Stop the privileges for Russia, starting from the golden passport scheme and dual citizenship. Please don't allow them to abuse your island," Zelensky said in a 10-minute speech to parliament.
"Please do your checks, see which Russians are trying to hide using your jurisdiction and your land."
Malta is one of the few EU member states with a "golden passport" programme – essentially a means for wealthy foreign investors to purchase citizenship.
The scheme is currently closed to Russian or Belarusian applicants and Malta has revoked the citizenship of a Russian national named in EU sanctions introduced as a response to the invasion of Ukraine.
Zelensky also pushed for a total EU embargo of Russian oil, acknowledging that could be a sore point for Malta as "Maltese-flagged vessels are used to transport Russian oil."
Malta operates one of the world's largest shipping registers and has said that it is seeking a "compromise" at EU-level talks about an eventual embargo.
Two Maltese-flagged ships carrying Russian fuel docked in Spanish ports in recent days, Maltese media reported on Tuesday.
