Russia is leaving the Council of Europe human rights organization, announced Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday as Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that recent talks with Ukraine haven’t shown any progress yet. The Council of Europe oversees the European Court of Human Rights, which hears cases from individuals alleging their rights were violated. With Russia’s exit from the body, Russian citizens cannot bring cases to the court. A letter from Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov announcing Russia’s exit was handed to the head of the Council of Europe, said Russian Duma Deputy Speaker Pyotr Tolstoy. “All responsibility for breaking off the dialogue with the Council of Europe lies with the NATO countries, which all this time have been using the topic of human rights for fulfilling their own geopolitical interests and for attacks on our country,” Tolstoy said of the resignation letter, according to state-funded RT. Because of “unprecedented sanctions …