EU Foreign Ministers Consider Banning Russians from entering the Union

All 27 of the EU’s foreign ministers are informally meeting today in Prague, to make it more complicated for Russians to attain  visas to travel freely within the Union, stopping just short of supporting a complete visa ban.

The proposal, to be considered over a two-day meeting has divided the EU’s nations, with some backing it enthusiastically, while others resist, fearing it could close the door on dissidents fleeing Russia.

Ukraine’s President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has already called for Russian citizens to be banned from entering the EU. Some EU countries neighbouring Russia, such as Estonia, have already moved to bar or limit visas to Russian nationals. They are now lobbying for the EU to follow suit. If the Union’s foreign ministers don't agree to act in unison, Estonia has vowed to move forward with other like-minded nations.

"We seek a European solution in the first place, because it is the most sustainable and legally correct," Lithuanian foreign minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said Tuesday.

The European Union had already banned air traffic to and from Russia, and had suspended visa facilitation for Russian official delegations and business leaders, but short stay visitors are still allowed to travel to the bloc. Josep Borrell, the Union’s foreign-policy chief, has opposed a blanket ban, saying that the EU needs to be “more selective.”

A likely compromise according to some EU diplomats will be suspending  a 2007 visa facilitation agreement with Russia, making it more difficult and a lot more expensive for Russian citizens to get tourist visas.

Kremlin vows response to restrictions on EU visas for Russians

The Kremlin has responded, warning it would take action if the European Union makes it harder for Russians to travel.

"We know that there are different views among Europeans on the matter. We will follow this closely. This is a very serious decision that could be directed against our citizens," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

"Of course, such decisions cannot remain without an answer," he said.

"Step by step, Brussels and individual European capitals demonstrate an absolute lack of reason... This mix of irrationality, bordering on the insane, allows for such decisions (on visas) to be discussed," Peskov added.

How many Russians have entered the EU since the war began?

Russian leisure travellers can use Schengen Visa,  normally valid across 26 EU and associated countries, including Switzerland and Norway. The visas typically allow stays of up to 90 days in a 180-day rolling period.

According to the EU’s Frontex, almost a million travelers with Russian passports have entered the EU since the war in Ukraine started on 24 February.  Nearly 700,000 of them arrived through Finland, Estonia and Lithuania.