Omid Nouripour, co-chairman of Germany’s Soyuz-90/Green Party, criticized calls for Russians to stop issuing short-stay visas to visit EU countries, expressing a similar position to that of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. Saturday, August 20, Nuripur said he understands the feelings of those who, amid Russia’s brutal attack on Ukraine, want to ban Russian citizens from traveling to the EU.

Due to the fact that a large number of Russians approve of the actions of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Omid Nuripur indicated that it is necessary, of course, “to make it clear that this will not work”, but at the same time noted that “in the fight against these dictatorships, it’s the implementation of legal norms in the countries of the European Union that is very, very useful.”

Calls for a total visa ban

In Europe, more and more countries unilaterally restrict Russians’ freedom of movement and the issuance of Schengen visas for them. Such measures have already been taken by Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and the Czech Republic. Finland plans to take similar steps in September, and Poland is considering that possibility. Denmark is pushing for a pan-European decision on visas for Russians, warning that if it doesn’t, it too will go it alone.

In this regard, Nuripur said that rather than closing EU entry to all Russians, they should be more active in ensuring that Russians who actively support Putin cannot travel to the EU. Arrested Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny “correctly pointed to the hundreds of oligarchs that are part of the Putin system who continue to shop in St Tropez. This is unacceptable,” said the co-chair of the German Green Party.