"They should not be allowed into Europe at all" — Finland proposes banning tourist visas for Russians
Kyiv • UNN
Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo called on the EU not to issue tourist visas to Russians. The European Commission will prepare stricter rules.
Finland has proposed introducing a complete EU-wide ban on issuing tourist visas to Russian citizens. The initiative received broad support among EU member states during the summit in Brussels on October 16. This was stated by Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo, Yle reports, writes UNN.
Details
According to Orpo, the restrictions should apply both to Russian tourists and former Russian military personnel. The Finnish prime minister stressed that Europe must adhere to a principle of zero tolerance toward such trips.
They should not be allowed into Europe at all. I think Finland needs to start insisting on a zero limit for everyone. Last year, there were almost half a million tourist visas
European Commission to prepare new restrictions
Finland's prime minister acknowledged that reaching an agreement on a complete visa ban during the current summit was unrealistic. At the same time, he said, the European Commission would begin preparing stricter rules for issuing tourist visas to Russians. Finland itself stopped issuing them back in 2022.
During the summit, EU leaders also discussed support for Ukraine. Orpo met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and stressed that Russia is attempting to paralyze Ukraine's energy system and infrastructure ahead of winter.
We need to provide assistance with this. To get through the winter, for air defense, and to strengthen defense in other ways
Financing for Ukraine for the coming year was a separate topic of the talks. Orpo expressed confidence that the EU would be able to meet Kyiv's short-term financial needs despite the reduction in available funds.