Ministers could agree on the abolition of the simplified procedure for obtaining a Schengen visa for Russians, which has been in force since 2006.< /strong>
August 30, Prague hosts a summit of EU foreign ministers. Strengthening sanctions against Russia is on the agenda.
This is discussed in the TSN story.
Which countries are in favor of such an idea, and are there those who are against it?
“Prague today is hosting the foreign and defense ministers of the EU member states. Well, one of the most important issues that will be discussed here, around which lively discussions continue, is the ban on the issuance of Schengen visas to Russian citizens. Ukraine’s position is unanimous – a complete ban on the issuance of visas to Russians . This was previously stated by President Zelensky and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmitry Kuleba,” the correspondent noted.
This initiative has already been publicly supported, in particular, by the Czech Republic, which hosts this informal summit, and the Baltic countries. However, there are countries that Ukrainian diplomats will have to persuade. So far, Portugal, Germany, Greece, Italy, Cyprus and Hungary are against such a ban.
Also on the eve of the ministerial meeting, Germany and France issued a general statement that they are also against a total ban.
Leaving a window for Putin's real opponents, the opposition is not averse to Ukraine either. This was announced by Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba.
“True, he noted that countries that still doubt and are against the decision to ban Russians from visiting the EU need to finally get rid of illusions about the current Kremlin regime,” he added. correspondent.
“Certainly, collective responsibility, when everyone is automatically guilty because of the actions of one person, is wrong. Therefore, it is necessary to preserve a window of opportunity for Putin’s real opponents, for dissidents. And for humanitarian reasons. Europe. But this narrative that this is “Putin's war” is just self-deception. Are Russian soldiers who kill and rape really Putin? No, they are citizens of Russia. Is it their relatives who support their participation in the war and inspire them and say: “Well done, come on! Urine crests!” – what is Putin doing? No, this is done by specific citizens of Russia. I think it is most important that those Europeans, those European countries that still have certain illusions about Russian politics and Russian society, get rid of them, ” Kuleba said.
The meeting of EU ministers in Prague is informal, that is, no specific decisions are likely to be made. Therefore, if we talk about the same ban on the issuance of Schengen visas, then analysts predict that the ministers can come to a compromise solution, namely the abolition of the EU-Russia visa facilitation agreement. The results of the negotiations, if they are expected tomorrow, during the final day of the ministerial meeting.
Recall that in Poland they are working on a concept that allows restricting the entry of Russian citizens. This statement was made by the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Piotr Wawrzyk.
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