On Wednesday, EU ambassadors agreed a mandate for negotiations with the European Parliament on the non-acceptance of Russian travel documents issued in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine and Georgia.

This was reported by the European Council press office on October 12.

"This decision is a response to Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified military aggression against Ukraine and Russia’s practice of issuing Russian international passports to residents of the occupied regions. It also follows Russia’s unilateral decision to recognise the independence of the Georgian territories of Abkhazia and South Ossetia in 2008," the statement reads.

Russian travel documents issued to residents of the Russian-occupied regions of Ukraine and Georgia will not be accepted as valid travel documents for visas or crossing the Schengen zone.

"Russian travel documents issued in these regions are already not recognised, or in the process of not being recognised, by EU member states. This decision aims to set out a common approach, ensure the proper functioning of the external border and common visa policies and safeguard the security of EU member states," said Vít Rakušan, Minister of the Interior of Czech Republic, which presides the European Council.

Based on this mandate, the presidency of the European Council is ready to start negotiations with the European Parliament.

Since the illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014, Russia has issued Russian passports to residents of the peninsula. This practice was extended to the non-Ukrainian government-controlled areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions in April 2019, and then to the occupied Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions in July 2022.

Systematic issuance of Russian passports in the occupied regions is a violation of international law and Ukraine's territorial integrity, sovereignty, and independence.

On September 12, the European Council fully suspended its short-stay visa facilitation agreement with Russia. The process of obtaining visas to EU countries for Russians has become much longer and more expensive.

In addition, on September 19, a ban on Russian citizens' entry with Schengen visas into Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland came into effect. And Finland introduced similar restrictions September 30.

Read more: Why Ukraine Will Not Be Satisfied with EU Decision on Visas for Russians