Latvian President Egils Levits considers it necessary to cancel visas and residence permits already issued to Russians who support Russia’s war against Ukraine. “The trade in residence permits by previous governments, their unwarranted generosity in issuing residence permits to Russian citizens… have created security risks and contributed to bilingualism. It is time to review the consequences of this failed and dangerous policy,” he said. him on Saturday, August. 13, at a meeting of victims of political repression in Ikskile.

According to the Latvian president, in the future, residence permits should not be issued to residents of the country who intend to acquire Russian citizenship. “They will have to leave our country,” Delfi.lv said, quoting him.

Levits: it is necessary to limit the issuance of visas to Russians at EU level

Levits stressed the need to limit the granting of Schengen visas to Russians at EU level. Latvia stopped issuing tourist visas to Russians on the first day of a full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, but Russian tourists still arrive there on visas from other Schengen countries, he said. “Therefore, I think that Latvia, together with Finland, Estonia, the Czech Republic and other related countries, should in the future introduce a requirement, already at European level, to stop issuing tourist visas to Russian citizens. That would be an additional sanction against Russia,” added the Latvian president.

The issue of limiting the issuance of Schengen visas to Russians as another measure in response to the ongoing war in Ukraine was brought up for discussion by the EU Council in late August. The Czech authorities presiding over the EU stated that they would seek a positive decision on this issue, which is also demanded by the Baltic countries. German Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz, in turn, spoke out against a total ban on issuing visas to Russian citizens.