Sybiha urges Europe to ban visas for Russian citizens
Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha has called on European countries to restrict visas for Russian nationals as far as possible and to bar Russian combatants and their families from entering. He called it a matter of national security for every European country.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha on 18 October urged Europe to close its borders to Russian citizens, writing on the social network X. In his view, the step is needed to protect Europe while Russia continues its war against Ukraine. European Pravda reported his statement.
Sybiha stressed that Russian combatants and their family members should not be allowed to enter the European Union. He said real entry bans are needed, and as soon as possible.
Why now
The minister believes a pan-European initiative would be especially timely at present because Russian President Vladimir Putin, in his words, is "grabbing new cannon fodder off the streets". Sybiha said every Russian man recruited to fight against Ukraine should know that by signing a contract with the invading army, he is also signing a ban on entering Europe and the rest of the world.
He called for non-essential visas for Russian nationals to be restricted to the maximum extent across all European states, describing this as a matter of national security for each of them. The minister also emphasised that Russian diplomats should not be able to move freely across Europe either.
Sybiha said Russia's attacks on Europe are no longer merely hybrid and are growing in intensity and scale. He argued that this demands urgent action, as only tough pressure can stop Putin.
Earlier calls
Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen recently called on EU member states to suspend the issuance of tourist visas to Russian citizens until the Russia-Ukraine war ends. Estonia joined the call, while Lithuania said it would continue to push for a ban on tourist visas for Russians.
