The United States on Monday rejected Ukraine’s call to temporarily suspend visas for Russian citizens, and the Democratic administration in Washington said it did not want to close the door on Russian dissidents and other people at risk.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged Western partners to adopt the measure earlier in August, saying Russians should be allowed to “live in their own world” for a year until they change their philosophy.

He called this measure “the most important sanction” that the West can apply against Russia. On August 9, Estonia and Finland officially proposed to the European Union to stop issuing visas to citizens of Russia.

“Stop issuing tourist visas to Russians. Visiting Europe is a privilege, not a human right,” Estonian Prime Minister Kaya Kallas demanded at the time.

But German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and the head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, have already spoken out against such a measure. Its implementation at the level of the EU bloc will require a unanimous vote of the member states.

Why the US opposes the abolition of visas for Russians

A U.S. State Department official said Monday that President Joe Biden’s administration has already imposed visa restrictions on Kremlin officials, but stressed that the U.S. approach is to identify those responsible for the war in Ukraine and hold them accountable.

“The United States would not like to close a safe haven for Russian dissidents and others who are vulnerable to human rights violations,” the spokesman explained.

“We also made it clear that it is important to draw a line between the actions and policies of the Russian government in Ukraine and the people of Russia,” he emphasized.

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