The European Union will discuss a visa ban for all Russian citizens at the end of August, Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky of the Czech Republic, whose country holds the EU Council presidency this semester, said on Friday.

This sanction, as a reaction to the invasion of Ukraine, was requested by Kyiv, but it causes controversy in the EU, and such a measure must be adopted unanimously by the 27 member states, writes AFP, which is quoted by Agerpres.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Dmytro Kuleba, explained on Twitter: “Russians massively support the war, applaud the missile strikes on Ukrainian cities and the killing of Ukrainians. So let Russian tourists enjoy Russia.”

Lipavsky noted that “a complete ban on visas for Russians by all EU countries could become another very effective sanction against Russia,” which he will discuss with European colleagues at an informal meeting in Prague at the end of the month.

However, the head of Czech diplomacy expressed the opinion that “in this period of Russian aggression, which the Kremlin continues to intensify, we cannot talk about tourism, as usual for Russian citizens.”

Among those who need to be convinced is the head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, who heads the councils of foreign and defense ministers. Sanctions are one of his prerogatives as the EU’s high representative for foreign affairs and security policy.

Estonia has already announced that it will no longer accept visas that it has already granted to Russian citizens, but Prime Minister Kaia Kallas has said that “we cannot ban people who have visas from another country from entering the Schengen area.”

The Czech Republic no longer issues visas to Russians from February 25, the day after the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

And Finland would like a European solution, since its national legislation does not allow a complete ban on visas based on citizenship. Earlier this month, Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto said the government in Helsinki was trying to reduce the number of tourist visas.

The European Commission openly opposes the ban, insisting on the need to protect dissidents, journalists and families. The European executive said through a spokeswoman that “Member States have an important reserve for issuing short-term visas and consider applications on a case-by-case basis.”

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Thursday opposed the ban on tourist visas for citizens of Russia. “This is (Vladimir) Putin’s war. And it is difficult for me to understand such requests,” he said at a press conference.

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