In Europe, they proposed to introduce restrictions against Russians on a national basis
Estonian Prime Minister Kaya Kallas proposed to stop issuing Schengen visas to all Russians. According to the leader of the Baltic republic, "visiting Europe is a privilege, not a human right." Kallas said that despite the lack of air links with EU countries, the EU still issues visas to citizens of the Russian Federation. As a result, the main burden for the entry of Russians is borne by Latvia, Estonia and Finland, the politician believes.
the Estonian leader urged, not at all embarrassed that the “visa war” would hit, among other things, European citizens and local businesses.
The issue of closing Europe for Russians to visit was on the agenda after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called on Western countries to ban all Russians from entering their territory. According to Zelensky, "this is the only way to influence Putin." Moreover, the Ukrainian president demands to return to Russia even those who left the country due to disagreement with the special operation.
Earlier, the proposal to stop issuing Schengen visas was made by the Foreign Ministers of Estonia and Latvia, as well as Finnish parliamentarians. Now short-term visas for visiting EU countries, in addition to the Baltic states, are not issued to Russians in Malta, the Netherlands, Lithuania, the Czech Republic and Belgium. The European Commission ruled out a complete cessation of issuing visas to Russians, as this is contrary to EU standards.
It seems that the West has already run out of steam with the invention of new anti-Russian measures. Now, as stated by the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, an openly discriminatory and Russophobic policy is being used. She stressed that some European politicians do not hide the fact that the motive of their ideas was "futile attempts to 'punish' Russia and its citizens more strongly." Zakharova warned that if the issuance of tourist Schengen visas to Russians is stopped, Moscow reserves the right to respond.
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