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EU FMs agree to introduce limits on visas for Russian citizens

On the second day of their meeting in Prague discussing the implementation of travel restrictions against Russian citizens. An agreement has been reached which will severely limit the number of visas issued.

It will become more expensive and lengthier for Russians to obtain visas to travel to the EU, although the bloc’s diplomats stopped short of agreeing to the EU-wide visa ban that Ukraine and several member states had called for.

EU’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, argued that the suspension of the visa facilitation deal will by itself have a real impact:

Josep Borrell said that the #EU countries have agreed to suspend the agreement on simplified visa regime for #Russians.

Now visas to the EU for #Russian citizens will become more expensive, and it will be more difficult to obtain them. pic.twitter.com/uCZT1gYRey

— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) August 31, 2022

Borrell also said there had been a substantial increase in border crossings from Russia into neighbouring states since mid-July. “This has become a security risk for these neighbouring states,” he added. “In addition to that, we have seen many Russians travelling for leisure and shopping as if no war was raging in Ukraine.”

We have seen a substantial increase of border crossings from Russia into neighbouring states. This is becoming a security risk.

We therefore agree today with EU Foreign Ministers on Full Suspension of the EU-Russia visa facilitation agreement. pic.twitter.com/zdowgdOa8F

— Josep Borrell Fontelles (@JosepBorrellF) August 31, 2022

Indeed, According to Frontex, EU’s border agency, more than one million Russians have entered the bloc through land border crossing points since the beginning of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, most of them via Finland and Estonia.

Borrell also stressed that member states can already take a number of steps to restrict the entry of Russians.

Central and Eastern Europe favours a full ban

The representatives of the bloc’s 27 member states arrived in Prague divided on whether they should go further and impose a blanket tourism ban. While Germany and France expressed scepticism of the measure, which they believe will be counterproductive, some countries, especially those neighbouring Russia, pushed for an outright ban, and have vowed to impose it themselves, with or without the support of the entire EU.

“Until such measures [visa ban] are in place on the EU level, we will consider setting up temporary measures on the national level,” read a joint statement prepared by Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and Finland.

Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský, whose country also backs an outright ban on tourism visas, said he saw the suspension of the visa facilitation deal as “the first, important step.”

Czechia, which currently holds the EU’s rotating presidency, had proposed that the ministers agree on a suspension of the visa facilitation agreement as a first step and that more should follow. The country’s foreign minister said that any later discussions on a tourism visa ban could focus first on the bloc’s land borders with Russia.

Prior to the agreement being announced, Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkēvičs said that an outright ban would send “a very clear message to Russian citizens that while Ukrainian citizens are dying, they are not welcome to come to Europe.” The Latvian diplomat also derided the idea that travelling to democratic countries for holidays would in any way serve to open the Russians to the fact that they live in a broken, tyrannical, and aggressive dictatorship.

“I don’t take seriously the argument that by visiting Europe, Russians will learn a lot how to change their country,” said FM Rinkēvičs.

But Rinkēvičs also said that Latvia would wait a bit for tougher steps from the EU, and expressed the hope that an agreement on a “road map” for lowering the number of Russian tourists in the EU can be reached.

All the while, Ukraine is pushing its Western supporters to introduce tougher measures. As Dmytro Kuleba, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister told Reuters, a visa ban would be “an appropriate response to Russia’s genocidal war of aggression in the heart of Europe supported by an overwhelming majority of Russian citizens.“

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