The European Union has been debating for several weeks the possibility of suspending the issuing of visas to Russian citizens which has been called for by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenski. Poland has been pursuing a restrictive visa policy towards Russians since the beginning of the war in Ukraine and is demanding similar action from other EU countries.
“We demand at the EU forum that such a restrictive policy of stopping the issuing of tourist visas be introduced at the EU level, because only then will it have the ultimate effect”, says Deputy Foreign Minister Szymon Szynkowski vel Sęk. He points out that at the moment “a Russian citizen who does not get a Polish visa can apply for one in another country and receive it there”.
Poland is developing a concept that will allow visas not to be issued to Russian citizens. Finland, Estonia, Latvia and Denmark have taken a similar decision on banning tourist visas for Russians. Informal opposition to such an EU-wide solution for the time being is being voiced by Germany, the Netherlands and France.
As Deputy Foreign Minister Pawel Jablonski revealed in an interview, Poland is trying to build a coalition on this issue.
“We are in the middle of talks and until they are over, I would not like to give a concrete list of those countries. In a few cases, mainly of the Baltic states, these declarations have already been public, but not only the Baltic states are discussing the issue. We are in favour of the total isolation of Russia in the international arena, because we believe that this can influence a change in social and political attitudes,’ said the Deputy Foreign Minister.
“A coalition of states should be formed to demand a visa ban for Russians at the European Union level”, says the governing party Law and Justice spokesman Radosław Fogiel. He added that Poland is counting on the countries blocking this ban today to change their attitude.
A decision on the suspension of tourist visas for Russians is expected to be taken at EU level by the end of this month.
Adrian Andrzejewski