Diplomats said they are not discussing the termination of the issuance of EU visas to Russians

Earlier, Finland called for a ban on issuing visas to Russians. The European Commission ruled out the ban, as this is not possible under EU law. The EU Delegation also assured RBC

The EU is not discussing the issue of stopping the issuance of Schengen visas to Russians, RBC was told at the EU Delegation to Russia.

Earlier, several EU countries made calls to stop issuing visas to Russian citizens, and some of them suspended the issuance of visas to Russians.

“No, at present there is no such decision and is not being discussed at the EU level,” the diplomats answered the corresponding question from RBC.

They also indicated that "in connection with the foregoing, we do not intend to answer hypothetical questions."

The European Commission ruled out a complete ban on the issuance of Schengen visas to Russians Politics

After the start of the special operation in Ukraine, the European Union suspended the simplified visa regime with Russia, that is, the issuance of short-term visas to officials and entrepreneurs under a simplified procedure. In addition, some EU countries, including Belgium, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, the Czech Republic and Poland, called for the cessation of issuing visas to Russian citizens.

On July 25, the main parliamentary parties in Finland (the Social Democratic Party, the Coalition Party, the True Finns and the Finland Center) also spoke in favor of refusing to issue tourist visas to Russians. The representative of the Coalition Party, a member of the parliamentary committee on foreign affairs, Elina Valtonen, called it absurd the possibility for Russian citizens to travel to the West "as if nothing had happened." Green Party member Saara Hürkkö said the best option would be an EU-level solution: it "would have the most impact".

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The Russian Foreign Ministry warned Helsinki about retaliatory measures in case of refusal to issue Schengen tourist visas to Russians. “Restricting the travel of Russian citizens for political reasons will be another step towards exacerbating the confrontation in bilateral relations,” said Maria Zakharova, a spokeswoman for the department. She warned of heightened tensions in Europe in the event of such a move by the Finnish authorities, and wondered if the initiative was a "NATO entry fee".

Presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Russia would respond to such measures of an "emotional nature" from the EU states.

At the same time, the European Commission ruled out a complete ban on the issuance of Schengen visas to Russians. According to the EC, Brussels' sanctions are directed "first and foremost" against the Russian government and the country's economic elites, and not against ordinary Russians. They also recalled that EU norms do not allow to completely stop issuing visas to citizens of a particular country.