“Unanimous opinion has not been formed”: can the EU authorities ban all Russian citizens from entering the Schengen zone

EU countries are discussing the restrictions that will be included in the new package of anti-Russian sanctions, including a proposal to stop issuing Schengen visas to Russians.

This was stated by the official representative of the government of Germany, Steffen Hebeshtreit.

“He (draft proposal. -

) has been submitted by some countries to the EU and is on the agenda.

The German government will now have to hold discussions on it between cabinet members and within the EU.

Until the end of the discussions, I cannot report on the intermediate results, ”TASS quoted him as saying.

Hebeshtreit added that the German government took note of the proposal at the EU level, and declined to comment further.

The representative of the German Foreign Ministry, Andrea Sasse, in turn, noted that this proposal could be discussed at a meeting of EU foreign ministers at the end of August in Prague.

She added that the proposal includes a ban not only on tourist visas, but also on visas for members of civil society, students and citizens with relatives in EU countries.

Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on CIS Affairs, Eurasian Integration and Relations with Compatriots Artyom Turov, in an interview with RT, called such discussions an attempt to put pressure on Russia.

“Western countries are trying to demonstrate pressure on Russia: economic, political, informational.

Of course, there are attempts to influence Russian society through various mechanisms,” the deputy stressed.

Now the role of an instrument of pressure in the EU is being tried on visa restrictions, the politician added.

“But I am sure that this will not affect the mood in society in any way, will not affect Russia in general.

Those sanctions imposed by Western countries primarily hit the economy of both the EU and other countries, ”Turov concluded.

Russophobic proposals

Recall that earlier Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview with The Washington Post that Western countries should ban Russians from entering their territory.

At the same time, according to Zelensky, the West does not need to make exceptions for those Russians who do not agree with the policy of official Moscow.

“Whatever Russians we are talking about ... make sure that they return to Russia,” Zelensky said.

• Vladimir Zelensky

• Gettyimages.ru

This proposal was supported by Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, who stressed that "visiting Europe is a privilege, not a human right," and it's time to put an end to tourism from Russia.

At the same time, the Finnish Foreign Ministry said that Helsinki would take action if Russians visit Europe on Schengen visas issued in the country, that is, use them for transit.

Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin also called for restrictions on Russian tourists.

The proposal discussed in the EU to ban the issuance of Schengen visas to Russians was also supported by Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky.

The authorities of Latvia and Bulgaria have already announced earlier that they will stop issuing tourist visas to Russians.

At the same time, the European Commission explained that the EU visa code does not provide for a procedure to prohibit the issuance of short-term visas, and the issue of visas is within the competence of the EU countries.

In turn, former US Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul said that special visa fees should be introduced for Russians to obtain visas for trips to "free countries".

These funds, McFaul stressed, must be directed to a special fund for the restoration of Ukraine.

This proposal was commented by the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova.

“I'm afraid to ask, how much do US citizens pay special taxes or additional fees for the reconstruction of Iraq?

And Belgrade?

Michael, when does the Biden administration plan to introduce such a legislative initiative to begin to restore justice after the meat grinder arranged by the States in these countries?”

— wrote the Russian diplomat in Telegram.

The press secretary of the President of Russia Dmitry Peskov, commenting on the words of Zelensky and other European politicians, noted that the Kremlin has a negative attitude towards such proposals.

“The statement, in fact, let's put it this way, speaks for itself, most likely, of course, the irrationality of thinking in this case goes off scale.

This can only be treated extremely negatively, ”Peskov said.

The Kremlin spokesman added that such attempts to isolate Russia "is a process that has no prospects."

Dmitry Peskov noted that unfriendly countries in their policy towards Russia "go into unconsciousness."

“I think that over time, common sense will somehow manifest itself, and those who made such statements will come to their senses,” added the press secretary of the President of the Russian Federation.

New Iron Curtain

Nikolai Mezhevich, president of the Association for Baltic Studies, believes that in the wake of anti-Russian sentiment, EU leaders may well accept restrictions on entry into Europe for all Russian citizens, but "a unanimous opinion on this matter has not been formed."

“Naturally, there are different people in Europe, including those who understand that to close themselves from the Russians in this way is to admit defeat.

These people are now trying to convey their arguments to the national authorities and Brussels, ”the expert emphasized.

• Passport control

• Gettyimages.ru

However, if such a decision is made, then Europe will have to return to interaction with Russia already on Moscow's terms, Nikolai Mezhevich believes.

Now a situation is emerging that is the opposite of the one that existed during the Soviet Union, the interlocutor of RT noted.

“No one was let out in the USSR, but in the West everyone was accepted.

Now vice versa.

We are ready to let go of everyone or almost everyone, but the West is not ready to accept them.

The West has put a new iron curtain on us, and the responsibility for this lies entirely with him, ”the political scientist emphasized.

As Pavel Feldman, Deputy Director of the RUDN Institute for Strategic Studies and Forecasts, notes, this process was expectedly initiated by the Baltic countries, which have always been at the forefront of the Russophobic policy of the united European space.

“Obviously, for Italy, Spain, France — countries that have traditionally received a significant flow of Russian tourists — these decisions are just as disadvantageous as the decisions to abandon Russian hydrocarbons.

Nevertheless, we must prepare for this, ”said the interlocutor of RT.

At the same time, now the citizens of Russia, in any case, should not neglect their security and visit unfriendly states in the face of growing anti-Russian sentiment, Pavel Feldman believes.

“The countries of the Schengen zone are recognized in Russia as unfriendly.

In the context of the escalation of the conflict on the part of the collective West, it makes no sense to travel to these countries, if only for reasons of one's own security, ”the political scientist emphasized.

The EU has not yet developed a unified position on this issue, as tourist countries do not want to lose another source of income in the current economic crisis, Pavel Feldman noted.

“But the fact is that the voice of the Germans, French or Italians in the EU sounds much quieter than the voice of the hysterical Baltic countries.

We very often see that it is these countries that determine the foreign policy of the entire Schengen area.

So, regardless of the position of the countries of Old Europe, most likely, they will once again be pushed through by the states of the Baltics and Eastern Europe, ”the expert explained.

Tourists who, in spite of everything, traveled to Western Europe through Finland, the Baltic States or Belarus, should be prepared for the fact that this will become impossible in the near future.

“It would be advisable for our tourists, especially in the light of constant aggressive attacks against the Russian Federation and Russians, to refuse such trips.

On the one hand, they want to make money on them, but on the other hand, they are met with disapproval, Russophobia, with demands to condemn Russia's foreign policy.

So, under these conditions, is it necessary to go to these unfriendly countries?”

the expert concluded.