Finland called for closing the European door to Russian tourists
Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen called for stopping the issuance of EU tourist visas to Russians while Russia continues its war against Ukraine. She urged EU countries to act together on this matter.
Finland called to close European doors for Russian tourists
According to DW, Valtonen announced on October 12 on the social network X that she had invited other member states to join her appeal to the European Commission.
"It is wrong for Russians to come to Europe and enjoy the lifestyle and freedoms here while their country is bombing Ukrainians' homes," the minister said.
Valtonen emphasized that Finland had already banned issuing visas to Russians for non-essential travel in 2022, saying that a similar measure should be applied EU-wide.
She also proposed banning the issuance of Schengen visas to individuals in Russian President Vladimir Putin's inner circle and restricting the issuance of visas to Russian athletes. She also called for the effective enforcement of a visa ban on Russians who participated in the war against Ukraine.
Proposals to tighten visa policy regarding Russian citizens have been made before. In September, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, said it was necessary to strengthen restrictions, including reducing the number of tourist visas, in response to Moscow's "hybrid attacks."
Estonia, meanwhile, put forward an initiative to ban the issuance of visas to former Russian military personnel who participated in the war against Ukraine. Later, this measure was also supported by other Baltic and Nordic countries.
In June, a group of EU countries made a joint call to stop issuing tourist visas to Russians. The letter they signed noted that in 2025, 470 thousand visas were issued to Russian citizens for travel to 29 countries in the Schengen area. According to the AFP agency, many of them granted multiple-entry rights.
According to a document published on the website of the Austrian Parliament, discussions on visa policy regarding Russia are scheduled in the Council of the EU on October 14.