Volodymyr Zelensky has urged western countries to ban Russian visitors. He was not the only leader to call for a ban on Russian visitors.
“ Russians should live in their world until they change their philosophy, he said. Such a ban will be more effective than the current sanctions, which ban Russian airlines and Kremlin officials. The most important thing is to close the border- because the Russians are taking away somebody else’s land, Volodymyr Zelensky added.
Estonia, and Latvia to Call for Russian Tourist Ban
On Tuesday, Estonia’s Prime Minister Kaja Kallas demanded the same. “Stop Issuing Tourist Visas to Russians. Visiting Europe is a privilege, not a human right,” Kallas tweeted.
Last month Latvia’s foreign minister Edgars Rinkevics told Politico that western nations should restrict giving visas to Russians, except on humanitarian grounds. And Finland too demanded the same on Monday. Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin told national broadcaster YLE:
“It’s not right that at the same time as Russia is waging an aggressive brutal war in Ukraine, Russians can live a normal life, travel to Europe, be tourists”.
Russian tourists are welcome in Turkey, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates. While Zelensky’s call may have limited takers, Estonia and Finland may raise the issue at the EU foreign minister’s meeting soon.
Estonia and Latvia Have Already Rescinded Schengen Visas for Russians
Currently, the EU’s Schengen Visa allows visitors to stay for up to 90 days for tourism or business. Visitors can travel freely within the the26-nation Schengen zone during that period. The Schengen zone embraces western European countries like Iceland, Norway, Switzerland, and Lichtenstein. Thus Russians can still visit the majority of western nations.
Yet EU nations have sanctioned many Russian oligarchs, military officials, and President Vladimir Putin from visiting the EU. After the Russian invasion of Ukraine, western sanctions have prompted many Russians to go abroad. These include activists opposing the invasion as well as people looking for better opportunities outside Russia.
Baltic states like Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania are Ukraine’s staunchest supporters.
As of now Estonia and Latvia no more issue Schengen visas to Russian visitors, yet they have sizeable ethnic Russian minorities. Also, Russians with Schengen visas issued by other western nations can still enter these states.
Even Bulgaria has stopped issuing tourist visas after a dispute with the Russian government. In France, the Château de Vincennes near Paris has barred Russian entry since the invasion.
Russia Condemns Volodymyr Zelensky Proposal
Kremlin’s Spokesman Dmitry Pskov has condemned Volodymyr Zelensky’s proposal saying “this can only be viewed extremely negatively”. “Any attempt to isolate Russia or Russians is a prospect that has no progress”, he said.
Upon hearing Latvian and Estonian attempts to bar Russian entry, Pskov compared them to nationalistic sentiments that led to World War II. “In their unfriendliness, many of these countries slip into forgetfulness.
And they resort to statements that we heard from several European countries at the center of Europe 80 years ago”, he said. Meanwhile, the Russian invasion has led to a Ukrainian backlash against the Russian language and Culture. Ukrainians have used Russian widely for centuries.
Recently, some Ukrainian celebrities announced they are no longer using Russian in public. In Kyiv, an online public vote picked new names for five metro stations and replaced them with Soviet-era names.
Accordingly, Leo Tolstoy Square will be called Vasyl Status, and Heroes of Dneiper will be called Heroes of Ukraine. And Druzhby Narodiv, which means “friendship of peoples” will be called Botanical.
(Inputs BBC)
