The head of the Estonian Foreign Ministry proposed to ban the issuance of EU visas to

Russians The European Commission has previously indicated that such an idea is contrary to EU norms, and sanctionsdirected not against citizens of Russia

The European Union should include in the next package of sanctions against Russia a ban on issuing visas to Russians in the union countries, Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Reinsalu told Bloomberg.

According to the minister, who is now on a visit to Kyiv, the EU should "isolate even more" Russia because of the ongoing military operation in Ukraine.

According to the head of the Estonian Foreign Ministry, he is counting on the support of other EU countries in anticipation of the preparation of the next, eighth round of sanctions.

One and a half month queues for Schengen appeared in the visa centers in Russia Business

The Estonian government, led by Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, is in favor of imposing tough restrictions on Russia and increasing support for Ukraine. According to ERR, in total, Tallinn donated about €20 million to Kyiv for humanitarian aid and about €245 million for military assistance, which is one third of Estonia's annual defense budget. More than 48,000 Ukrainians have arrived in the country since the start of hostilities.

In March, shortly after the entry of Russian troops into Ukraine, Estonia restricted the issuance of tourist visas to Russians: only those who have relatives in the country, as well as people who need to come to Estonia for “humanitarian reasons” or for medical purposes, could receive them. In July, entry restrictions were tightened: Tallinn banned Russians from obtaining temporary residence permits or visas to study in Estonia.

The issuance of visas to Russian citizens was suspended by the Czech Republic, Lithuania and Latvia, the latter also canceled the simplified travel format for Russians living near the border. Prior to this, the Latvian State Security Service (SSS) reported on thorough checks of Russians and Belarusians who enter Latvia in order to support military operations in Ukraine; according to the LSM portal, the border guards demanded to sign a document condemning the Russian military operation.

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Military operation in Ukraine. Online Politics

According to Reinsalu, the issuance of tourist visas to Russians should also be banned from other EU countries in order to “stop roaming across the border,” which is “unthinkable in wartime conditions.” The authorities of other countries, such as Poland and Belgium, also called for stopping issuing entry permits to Russian citizens.

As stated in the European Commission, the proposal is contrary to the norms of the European Union; the decision to issue a Schengen visa is made by one or another EU country, which must take into account whether the arrival of a tourist will threaten national security or international relations. It is impossible to stop issuing visas when it comes to humanitarian cases, family members of EU citizens, journalists and dissidents, the EC pointed out, adding that the sanctions are directed against the government and business, not Russian citizens.

The Kremlin believes that stopping the issuance of Schengen visas to Russians cannot be ruled out, but promises to take retaliatory action if such measures of an "emotional nature" are approved.