Estonian Prime Minister urged to deprive Russians of the "privilege" to visit Europe

After the events in Ukraine, the EU stopped air communication with RUSSIA. And while Russians are being issued Schengen visas, the burden is borne by countries with which Russia has open land borders - Finland, Estonia and Latvia,

The authorities of the EU countries should stop issuing entry visas to Russian tourists, said Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas.

“Stop issuing tourist visas to Russians. Visiting Europe is a privilege, not a human right,” she tweeted.

Kallas recalled that after the start of the military operation in Ukraine, the European Union closed air traffic with Russia. “This means that while the countries of the Schengen zone issue visas, the burden falls on the countries neighboring Russia - Finland, Estonia, Latvia, which are the only land entry points. It’s time to end tourism from Russia right now,” the prime minister said.

Which countries do not issue Schengen visas to Russians Society

Estonia has previously called for a ban on the issuance of EU visas to Russians. The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic, Urmas Reinsalu, proposed to include this measure in the next package of sanctions against Russia. According to him, the European Union should "isolate even more" Russia due to the ongoing military operation in Ukraine.

Again, the issue of banning the issuance of visas to Russians Kallas raised after the statement of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The day before, he called on Western countries to close the borders for Russians for a year and impose a complete embargo on the purchase of Russian energy resources. The President believes that these measures will be stronger than previous sanctions and serve as "the only way to influence [Russian President Vladimir] Putin."

By closing the borders, Zelensky said, one could “hold the entire population” of Russia to account: its citizens should “live in their own world until they change their philosophy.”

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Zelensky called on Western countries to close entry for all Russians Politics

Deputy HEAD of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev reacted to Zelensky's words. “The last time Adolf Hitler tried to implement such ideas in relation to an entire nation. Any more questions about the nature of Ukrainian power?” he said.

The European Commission, in turn, ruled out a complete ban on issuing visas to Russians. “There are always groups of people who need to be given visas. These are humanitarian cases, family members [of EU citizens], journalists and dissidents,” it noted. As explained in the EC, the Brussels sanctions are directed primarily against the Russian authorities and elites, and not against ordinary citizens. The Kremlin also promised to answer in the case of "emotional decisions" on the Schengen.