Italy and France Back Ban on Russian Veterans Entering EU, but Officials Warn Draft Could Bar All Russians

Italy and France have expressed reservations about the European Commission's proposal to ban former Russian military personnel from entering the European Union, Bloomberg reported, citing sources. The two countries do not oppose barring former Russian military personnel but fear that the proposal as currently drafted could amount to a blanket ban on all Russians entering the bloc.

Both countries think restrictions should be implemented through visa policy rather than sanctions, though the sources offered no specifics on what that would mean in practice. Italy and France also noted that the European Commission's proposal leaves it to individual EU member states to determine who has and has not participated in the war in Ukraine — a task they said would be difficult to implement.

On June 9, the European Union unveiled its 21st package of sanctions against Russia. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen simultaneously proposed adding to the package an entry ban covering all Russians who participated in the war or served in the military after February 24, 2022. It remains unclear exactly how these restrictions would work if approved.