He noted that a general visa ban would be "shooting itself in the foot" for the West from a political and strategic point of view.
“You can try to play it safe - to direct the anger of travel enthusiasts at the Russian border and police authorities, and not at the EU,” Ischinger said in an article for the German newspaper Handelsblatt.
According to the diplomat, organizing the issuance of tourist visas to the EU for Russians, subject to the inclusion of a column on the condemnation of the special operation in visa applications, is a “thinkable way” to solve the problem.
“If the Russian authorities prosecute visa applicants for signing such statements ... the anger of those affected is likely to be directed at least as much against Russia's repressive policies as against the West,” he added.
Earlier, the Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the EU Oleksiy Makeev said in an interview with Politico that the EU countries should not let Russians into their territory who support the conduct of a special military operation.
In his opinion, the corresponding question should be included in the questionnaire filled out when applying for a visa.
Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas said earlier on Sky News that the authorities of the republic consider Russian tourists a threat to the country's security.
The head of the Russian Defense Ministry, Sergei Shoigu, said that the idea to ban all Russian citizens from entering the EU countries is a manifestation of Nazi policy.
The foreign ministers of 27 EU member states will discuss on August 30 a common approach to the issue of issuing visas for Russian citizens.