According to comprehensive media reports, Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky issued a statement on Friday (12th) saying that “all EU member states categorically stop issuing visas to Russians, which may become another very effective sanctions.” Lipavsky said he would present the idea at an informal EU foreign ministers meeting in Prague, Czech Republic, at the end of August.
As early as February 28, just four days after Russia went to war with Ukraine, the Czech Republic suspended visas for all Russians, except in humanitarian cases.
According to the report, Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics tweeted on July 30 to condemn “Russian killing of prisoners of war in Yelenovka, Ukraine” and called on the European Union to impose a tourist visa ban on Russian citizens. Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin has also said she believes tourist visas issued to Russian citizens should be restricted and called for an EU-wide ban.
Lipavsky cited Russia’s war against Ukraine as an example, arguing that imposing a travel ban on Russian citizens would be another sanction. “As a government, we believe that stopping the issuance of visas to ordinary Russian citizens will send a very clear and direct signal to Russian society… Citizens of these countries should realize that this,” Lipavsky said. Such an aggressive policy will have consequences.”
Lipavsky also suggested that the visa ban could help “reduce the influence of Russian secret services in the EU”. It is understood that the Czech Republic, Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia and Poland have stopped issuing some visas to Russian citizens. This is already having a concrete impact on the overall travel of Russians to the EU, which has stopped direct air links with Russia.
But Russian citizens who already have multiple-entry visas can still enter the EU by land via Finland and the Baltic states, leading Estonia to ban Russians holding Schengen visas issued by the country from entering its territory.
In an interview with The Washington Post on Monday (8th), Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that the way to stop Russia from annexing more Ukrainian territory is for the West to announce that it would ban all Russian citizens from entering the country. respond. The Russians, he said, should “live where they are until they change their minds.”
Anitta Hipper, spokeswoman for the interior of the European Commission, said at a regular press conference on Thursday (11th): “The assessment of individual visa applications and the issuance of visas is the sole responsibility of the (EU) member states. Responsible.”
Shipp said EU member states could coordinate their decisions on who to allow entry, as was done during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the bloc banned non-essential travel from outside the bloc.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz responded on Thursday (11th) by stating that he was skeptical of the idea of banning all Russians from the European Union. “It’s Putin’s war, that’s why I’m having a hard time accepting this (offer),” Scholz told reporters.
Scholz believes the EU has imposed sanctions on Russia’s leadership and many individuals who support the war. “We will continue to do so,” he said. Scholz added that a blanket travel ban on all Russian citizens would undermine the purpose and effect of these targeted sanctions.
According to reports, since Russia invaded Ukraine, the European Union (EU) has proposed 6 sets of sanctions against Russia, including an air travel ban on Russia, but no restrictions on Russian passengers. Russians can still enter the EU by bus or car nation. And Russian billionaires and citizens around the world are also becoming the focus of international sanctions for owning yachts, jets and mansions.
With Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, this trend of “golden passports” through investment immigration appears to be turning. Portugal, Greece and the Czech Republic have stopped issuing visas to Russian nationals; the UK has scrapped the investor visa program entirely; Bulgaria introduced a bill in February to ban “golden passports”, which could make Malta the only one still offering “golden passports” member states.
The investment immigration industry contributes a lot of money to European countries, with European profits reaching 21 billion euros between 2011 and 2019. The vast majority of these passport applicants are considered law-abiding wealthy individuals, not all of whom are billionaires, but in the case of Russians, they are currently facing more scrutiny due to their nationality.
Those who obtain a “golden passport”, in addition to enjoying citizenship, investors can also obtain the right to live, work and travel freely in the EU through other means. Currently, the 13 member states that issue “golden passports” have residency-by-investment programs where the wealthy can obtain residency visas by purchasing property, government bonds or other assets.