EU should stop issuing visas to Russians, PM Shmyhal believes

Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal considers the European Union's decision to suspend the visa facilitation agreement with Russia insufficient.

“Visas have to be stopped or suspended for the time being while Russia is waging a terrorist war,” Shmyhal told POLITICO in an interview.

The Prime Minister of Ukraine dismissed the EU’s tentative first step on Russian visas, when foreign ministers agreed to suspend a 2007 visa facilitation agreement with Russia — a step that will make the visa process more onerous and costly, but not eliminate it altogether.

“This is not enough. We believe that not only should the so-called visa application not be in place, but tougher sanctions should be taken, vis-à-vis tourists and students,” he said.

Asked if ordinary Russians and students should be punished for Putin’s war in Ukraine, Shmyhal pointed out that 85 percent of Russian people support Putin and the war.

“People need to know that by supporting Putin and his aggression … they have to pay for this support,” he said.

The Head of the Government of Ukraine explained how exactly, in his opinion, a visa ban for Russians could help change public opinion in Russia.

“Instead of tourists or students going to Europe to enjoy life or to study, they ought to remain within their country and tell their neighbors, their relatives, their circle the way Europe really sees Russia. This should be like a cold shower on the whole of Russian society — to allow them to understand the consequences of what they are doing in Ukraine,” Shmyhal explained.

Earlier, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky stated that the EU's 8th sanctions package against Russia should include all-European visa decisions for Russian citizens, stressing that "Europe is a territory of values, not a Disneyland for supporters of terror."

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