The designated Ukrainian ambassador to Germany, Oleksiy Makeyev, has spoken out in favor of a ban on tourist visas for Russian citizens by the European Union.

"A ban on tourist visas for Russians is very important because it increases social pressure on the government in Moscow," Makeyev told the FAZ. Since many Russians are affected, they understand that "something is wrong with their country's politics is,” said the diplomat, who has been the Kiev government’s sanctions commissioner for two years and is to succeed Andriy Melnyk in Berlin.

He pointed out that Poland, the Baltic States and the Czech Republic support this demand.

Markus Wehner

Political correspondent in Berlin.

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The issue was discussed at the meeting of EU foreign ministers in Prague on Wednesday.

Germany and France opposed a ban on tourist visas.

One must fight for the "hearts and minds" of the Russian population, at least those parts that are not yet completely alienated from the West, the Reuters news agency quoted from a joint position paper of both states.

Makeyev said that people who supported the war of aggression against Ukraine or denied war crimes should not have a place as tourists in Europe or the United States.

"It would be as if Germans had been able to travel freely as tourists during the Nazi era." The fact that Russians could travel to the West did not help "European values ​​to be accepted in Russia," said Makeyev.

The policy of including the country in European exchange and thus leading it to a democratic path has failed.

Anyone who wants to leave Russia for political reasons or is being persecuted by the Putin regime should continue to have this option.

Arms shipments and financial aid are crucial

Sanctions could not stop Moscow's war, the diplomat said.

The decisive factor for this is the strength of the Ukrainian armed forces;

that is why arms deliveries and financial aid to Ukraine are crucial.

However, the sanctions that have been decided are suitable for weakening the aggressor.

The Russian gross domestic product will be around ten percent lower than in the previous year as a result of the sanctions, inflation will rise by 20 to 30 percent, which will significantly exceed the increase in the West.

Because of the embargo on oil and coal, Russia is making less money, even though it is still earning a lot from the high gas prices.

The EU and Germany have already done a lot to reduce dependence on Russian gas, Makeyev said.

Ultimately, however, there must be a complete EU gas embargo on Russia.

It is also important that more and more Russian banks are excluded from the SWIFT organization for international payment transactions.

The future ambassador of Ukraine in Berlin does not see the danger that the support of the Germans and the population of other EU states for Ukraine and the sanctions against Russia will dwindle.

It is important that the European institutions and national governments repeatedly explain the purpose of the sanctions.

Makejev thinks it is unlikely that the solidarity of the Germans will decrease because of supply difficulties and rising energy prices.

"The solidarity of the German population with Ukraine is very high," he said.

Many Germans are willing to pay a little more money, knowing that the Ukrainians are "paying for their freedom with blood and lives".

Many Germans would understand that paying a few hundred euros more “is a contribution to the Ukrainian War of Independence”.