The European Commission has presented a proposal on the non-recognition of Russian passports issued in occupied territories of Ukraine.

The Commission proposes a general approach of the EU to the non-recognition of Russian passports issued in occupied foreign areas since Russia is now spreading the practice of issuing ordinary Russian passports in territories not under the control of the Ukrainian government, in particular, in the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions.

"The proposal establishes an obligation for Member States not to recognise travel documents issued by the Russian authorities in or to persons resident in occupied foreign regions for the purposes of visa issuance and the crossing of external borders," reads the statement.

This legislative proposal will ensure a mandatory approach applied in all member states, replacing voluntary actions taken by member states after the illegal annexation of Crimea.

Now the European Parliament and the European Council must decide on the proposal of non-recognition of Russian travel documents issued in occupied foreign regions.

The measures will enter into force on the first day after publication in the EU Official Journal.

The European Commission has officially proposed to suspend the Visa Facilitation Agreement with Russia in full.