The chief executive of the Swedish company behind the Voi e-scooters currently being trialled in the Bristol region is to visit the UK to meet the region's Metro Mayor.
Last week, Dan Norris threatened to ban the company from operating in the area unless it severs ties to Russia. The threats came following a report in the Swedish press.
It has emerged that one of the operator’s major shareholders has close links to Russia, which has been condemned for invading Ukraine. Voi has since said it was re-evaluating all its partners.
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The Metro Mayor held a meeting earlier this week with Fredrik Hjelm, CEO of Voi Technology. Mr Norris said the discussion was "frank and candid" and he welcomed the offer of a face-to-face meeting in the UK later in the month.
Mr Norris said: “It is vital that Voi do due diligence when it comes to any possible connection between their company and the Putin regime. If there are links they must end them. West of England residents expect nothing less and I made this abundantly clear.
“I expect all businesses to be doing the same. My message is stark but important: if you are in any way complicit in the horrors being perpetrated in Ukraine right now, you must and will be held to account."
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Voi has previously said it has ceased all business activities in Russia and its ally Belarus and is re-evaluating all its partners in light of the war to take 'all actions deemed necessary to comply with sanctions', including removing shareholders who 'no longer align with our core values'.
According to Bristol 24/7, Russian businessman Alexander Eliseev owns about £10.8m worth of shares in Voi. He is a major shareholder and chairman of shipping firm Globaltruck, which is partly owned by the Russian state through the wealth fund RDIF, reports say.
Swedish newspaper Di says Mr Eliseev has business links with Alexei Mordashov, an oligarch who has been sanctioned by the EU over the invasion.
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