This is Putin's war: Scholz opposes general ban on russians EU entry
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz does not support the idea of a general ban on the entry of russians into the EU
He said this on Thursday during the German Chancellor's annual press conference, Der Tagesspiegel reports.
He noted that the ban is not necessary for tourist visas.
"This is putin's war. And that's why I have a hard time with this idea," the Chancellor stressed.
According to Scholtz, the European Union has already decided on personal sanctions against people from moscow's decision-making centers.
"We will continue this," Olaf Scholz stressed.
However, he does not consider it justified to introduce punitive measures against all russians.
In his opinion, such a ban would weaken sanctions' effectiveness "if they were directed against everyone, including the innocent."
As Rubryka reported, the Estonian government announced on August 11 that it would not allow russians with Schengen visas issued by Estonia to be admitted within a week, with a few exceptions.
Prime Minister of Estonia Kaia Kallas called to stop issuing tourist visas to russians for EU trips. She emphasized that visiting Europe is a privilege, not a human right.
On Wednesday, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic, which presides over the Council of the European Union, Jan Lipavský, supported a complete ban on issuing Schengen visas for russian citizens, which was previously proposed by some EU countries.
Later, the Prime Minister of Finland, Sanna Marin, supported the restriction of issuing visas to russians in Europe and said that she expected the relevant issue to be considered at the EU summits.
Read Rubryka's daily timeline of war: current news on Ukraine's defense against russia's aggression.
