Kuleba Called on the EU to Close Its Doors to Russian Tourists to Change Russia

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba insists on banning tourist visas for Russians to stop the war in Ukraine.

The minister wrote on his Twitter that trips to the EU had zero transformative effect on Russia.

"Travel to the EU has had zero transformative effect on Russia. Since visa facilitation in 2007, Moscow has attacked Georgia, launched a war on Ukraine, and committed multiple crimes — all of them with overwhelming popular support. To transform Russia, shut the door on Russian tourists," Kuleba wrote.

The potential visa ban for Russians is set to be discussed at a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Prague on August 31.

Eastern EU members, in particular Russia's immediate neighbors Estonia and Finland, are most actively promoting the idea of ​​banning tourist visas. France, Germany, and the countries of Southern Europe, which are interested in Russian tourists, continue to oppose it.

According to the EU's chief diplomat, the countries are unlikely to stop delivering visas to all Russians, but they may agree to back suspending a visa facilitation agreement with Moscow.

The Czech Republic, chairing the EU Council, proposed to suspend the visa agreement with the Russian Federation as a compromise option. It will increase the visa fee from 35 to 80 euros, as well as the time for processing visa applications and the list of required documents.