Baltic countries and Poland have agreed to coordinate a visa ban for most Russian citizens, further complicating access to the EU for Russian holders of Schengen visas. The new rules take effect on Monday, September 19.
Such an approach differs from the majority of the EU countries that have not taken any additional measures aside from the suspension of the 2007 visa facilitation agreement with Russia, except for Finland, which has cut the number of visa applications being processed by its embassy in Russia by 90 percent.
Russia’s war against Ukraine is not just Putin’s war: it enjoys wide support among the Russian society, and therefore, ordinary Russians must feel all its repercussions. The collective responsibility for Russian citizens seems like a reasonable motivation for imposing visa bans in the whole free world. Besides, the risks that the free travel of Russians poses for the security of Ukrainian refugees and hosting communities should be considered as well.
Speakers
- Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze, Ukrainian MP, Chair of the Committee on European Union Integration
- Eerik-Niiles Kross, Estonian MP, a member of the parliament’s foreign affairs committee, and ex-national coordinator of Estonia’s intelligence services
UKRAINE IN FLAMES project is created by Ukraine Crisis Media Center and NGO “Euroatlantic Course”. We are aiming at searching a loud support for Ukraine in the war started by Russia on the 24th of February 2022.
If you want to support Ukraine against Russian aggression, check the link with recommendations by Ukraine Crisis Media Center – https://uacrisis.org/en/help-ukraine.
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