Finland’s Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen on Monday urged all EU countries to stop issuing tourist visas to Russians until Moscow ends itsinvasion of Ukraine.
Valtonen, in a statement, urged the European Commission to “adopt stricter guidelines on the processing of visa applications by Russian citizens” and “introduce necessary amendments to EU legislation to implement a ban on tourist visas”.
“Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine is now in its fifth year. It is not right that Russians can travel to Europe to enjoy the way of life and freedoms here while their country bombs the homes of Ukrainians,” Valtonen said.
He also asked EU countries to join a letter to the European Commission, which would also pushe for a “ban on Schengen visas to President Vladimir Putin’s inner circle, visa restrictions for Russian athletes, and the effective implementation of the visa ban on Russian (ex)combatants agreed by the EU member states” this year.
Finland — which shares a 1,340 kilometre (830 mile) border with Russia — stopped issuing visas to Russians for non-essential travel in 2022.
In September, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said the European Union must ramp up measures against the Kremlin, including reviewing tourist visas for Russians, to counter Moscow’s “hybrid attacks.”
Estonia has advocated for a Europe-wide visa ban on Russian veterans of the Ukraine war, which has gained support from Baltic and Nordic countries.
In June, a group of European countries called on the EU to crack down on tourist visas for Russians in a joint letter.
More than 470,000 tourist visas for the 29 countries in the Schengen travel zone were issued to Russian citizens in 2025, many multi-entry, according to the letter.
AFP