Poland working on draft visa ban for Russians

A deputy foreign minister says that Warsaw is working on a proposal to overcome resistance from key Western European nations.

Poland Deputy Foreign Minister Piotr Wawrzyk told the nation's PAP news agency that Warsaw is working on a draft proposal that would allow the EU to refuse visas to Russian travelers. He said that a decision on the matter can be made within the next few weeks.

The deputy minister said it was intended to reduce the resistance of some key EU members who are likely to oppose a blanket visa ban on Russians, but did not elaborate on the exact details of the proposal, which is still in the works.

Poland is in favor of suspending the 2007 agreement between Moscow and Brussels on the facilitation of the issuance of visas. The visas issued by the treaty are not allowed for a maximum stay of 90 days per period of 180 days for citizens of Russia and the EU.

According to Wawrzyk, not all EU members are on board with such an initiative. He said that this is opposed by large member states, including Germany, France and the Netherlands. He said that since it is impossible to overcome the resistance of these countries to suspend the agreement, Poland is working on a new solution.

The deputy minister said that Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and the Czech Republic and Slovakia are aligned with Poland's approach to the issue and that Warsaw has already been holding talks with some EU member states for several weeks. We can expect a decision on this matter in the coming weeks, Wawrzyk said.

The deputy minister welcomed the decisions of Tallinn and Riga to suspend or limit the issuance of visas to Russians. He said that Poland has not been issuing tourist visas to Russians for several months and that it's better late than never. Warsaw only admits diplomats, truck drivers traveling to Poland for work, and family members of Polish and EU citizens.

Earlier this week, the Czech Republic, which holds the rotating presidency of the EU, said it would push for a blanket EU ban on Russians. The issue will be discussed with the bloc at a ministerial summit in Prague in August.

Latvia stopped issuing visas for almost all Russian citizens earlier this month, citing security concerns. Estonia said on Thursday it would do the same. On August 18th, Tallinn plans to ban current Russian holders of Estonian visas from entering the country. Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas called travelling to Europe a privilege and not a human right last week, as she called for other member states to follow suit.

Finland s government, which supports the same measure, is expected to discuss potential limits on issuing visas to Russians on Tuesday, according to Finnish YLE broadcaster.

Germany has so far been one of the few European nations that opposes such a move. Chancellor Olaf Scholz expressed skepticism over a potential blanket ban, arguing that it would diminish the effectiveness of other sanctions by targeting innocent people. Moscow has blasted the proposed measures as flagrant nationalism and xenophobia. The Kremlin expressed its hope that common sense would prevail over time.