The Czech Republic on Friday disclosed that the bloc is considering a blanket ban on visas for all Russian travellers as its next sanction on Moscow.
This was made known in a statement by the Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky.
According to him, “The flat halting of Russian visas by all EU member states could be another very effective sanction.”
The Minister said, he will propose the idea at an informal meeting of EU foreign ministers in Prague at the end of August.
“In a time of Russian aggression, which the Kremlin keeps on escalating, there cannot be talks about common tourism for Russian citizens.”
Thus far, EU has arrived at six sanction packages against Russia.
Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian President urged the West to ban all Russian travellers in an interview with the Washington Post earlier this week
He said, “Russians should live in their own world until they change their philosophy”.
Recall that the Czech Republic stopped issuing visas for ordinary Russians on February 25, a day after Russia invaded Ukraine.
However, Russian tourists are still flowing into Europe through Finland.
Once they enter the visa-free Schengen zone, the Russians — including spies — are free to travel across most of Europe.
Also, Finland’s Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto introduced a plan to limit tourist visas for Russians, last week.
Similarly, Kaja Kallas, the prime minister of Estonia which also borders Russia, called on the EU to stop issuing visas to Russians earlier this week.
“Visiting Europe is a privilege, not a human right,” she said in a tweet on Tuesday.
Lipavsky said the move would send “a very clear and straightforward signal to the Russian society”.
He added: “It will show that “the Western world does not tolerate the Russian regime’s aggression and hateful rhetoric aimed at free, democratic countries that pose no threat to Russia.”
