Foreign Ministry: Moscow will respond to the initiative of the EU countries to limit the issuance of visas to Russians

Moscow will not leave unanswered the initiative of the EU countries to limit the issuance of Schengen visas to Russian citizens. Response measures will be announced soon. This statement was made at a briefing by Deputy Director of the Department and Press of the Russian Foreign Ministry Ivan Nechaev.

Nechaev did not rule out that a “discriminatory decision” to limit the issuance of Schengen visas to Russians could be taken at the EU level. “These steps will not remain without a proper reaction from the Russian side. You will soon learn about them, ”said the representative of the Foreign Ministry (quote according to RIA Novosti).

Separately, Nechaev commented on Finland’s decision to reduce the number of visas issued to Russians. According to him, such a measure “completely fits into the mainstream of another Russophobic campaign” in a number of EU countries.

Earlier today, European Commission (EC) representative Anita Hipper statedthat EU foreign ministers will discuss a coordinated approach to imposing restrictions on the issuance of short-stay visas to Russians at an informal meeting in Prague on August 30-31.

The day before, the Estonian government announced plans to restrict the entry of Russians with Schengen visas issued in other EU countries.

16 August Finnish government approved the proposal of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to reduce the number of tourist visas issued to Russians by 10 times. Now the number of accepted applications for visas in Russia will be reduced to 500 per day, and obtaining a Finnish visa may take 4-5 months. The Foreign Ministry clarified that from the beginning of September, an average of 100 applications per day will be opened.

At the end of July, the press secretary of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov pointed outthat Moscow will take retaliatory measures if Finland imposes a ban on issuing visas to Russians. In addition, Peskov did not rule out that the West could completely ban the issuance of Schengen visas to Russians, but expressed the hope that this would not happen.

Nevertheless, already in early August, a proposal was made to the EU to ban the issuance of Schengen visas to Russians as part of a new package of sanctions, which should be agreed by the end of August. However, this move is opposed by Germany. Chancellor Olaf Scholz considers it unacceptable. According to him, the responsibility for the situation in Ukraine should be borne by the Russian leadership, and not ordinary citizens.

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