More EU Countries Oppose Imposing Entry Ban on Russians

The list of countries opposing such an idea has extended to include Portugal, Cyprus, and Greece, AtoZSerwisPlus.com reports.

Portugal opposed the proposal to ban Russians from entering the EU. The Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the EU countries should target the “Russian war machine” rather than focusing on innocent Russians.

Besides voicing its opposition, the Ministry emphasised that the country is ready to take part in all meetings related to the matter.

Similarly, Cyprus has also objected to introducing an EU entry ban for Russians. The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Cyprus said that the country believes in people-to-people contacts, emphasising that Cyprus does not support the idea of banning Russians.

Moreover, the Secretary noted that by imposing restrictive measures, the Russian-speaking expatriate community would be prevented from visiting their family member and friends.

“We do not believe there is merit in such a decision,” the Secretary stated.

Even though Cyprus opposed banning Russians, the Secretary pointed out that additional measures against Russia might be discussed, and the existing ones may get strengthened.

“We shouldn’t prevent these communities from coming into contact with families and friends. The main weapon is European unity and our partners should respect the sensitivities of others on this issue,” the Secretary added.

Greece is also not considering banning Russians or changing the status of visas that Russians already hold. This means that citizens of Russia will continue to be able to enter Greece provided that they hold a valid visa.

Apart from the above-mentioned, the German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, has also opposed the proposal to ban Russians from entering the EU. The Chancellor said that innocent Russian citizens should not suffer Putin’s actions, suggesting that the EU countries should not impose a travel ban.

In addition, the Chancellor emphasised that the EU countries should focus on targeting Putin as well as other individuals responsible for the war in Ukraine and, at the same time, revealed that they would continue to take further steps.

Nonetheless, the case is not the same for all EU countries, as some of them have already imposed an entry ban on Russians.

Estonia has already stopped issuing new visas for citizens of Russia. In addition, the country has also banned Russians who hold a visa issued by the authorities of Estonia.

Latvia stopped issuing visas to Russians too. The cross-border deal between Latvia and Russia was suspended on August 1.

Lithuania, Finland, Denmark, Norway, Poland, and the Czech Republic also support an entry ban on Russian tourists.