Ban Russian Tourists Eu Divided Over Visa Restrictions For Ordinary Russians.

Comment BRUSSELS — With fighting raging in eastern Ukraine and Europe bracing for a war-induced recession, should Russians be allowed to enjoy the end of summer in the south of France? Buy luxury goods in Italy? Visiting family in Finland? These questions will be part of a discussion this week among European Union foreign ministers who are gathering for an informal meeting in Prague. And while EU countries have agreed to ban Russian flights from their airspace and put more than 1,200 people on the sanctions list, the blanket ban on Russian tourists is proving much more divisive. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is pushing for one. “Let them live in their own world until they change their philosophy,” he told the Washington Post in an interview this month. “This is the only way to influence Putin.” Calls for EU visa ban on Russians grow, but not all Ukrainians agree It has support from EU countries that share a border with Russia – the Baltics and Finland – as well as Poland and the Czech Republic. The travel ban is “another way to convey our message to the Russian people that the Kremlin must stop its genocidal war against the Ukrainian people,” Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas said in an email. “People change their minds when their own benefits are cut and their welfare is affected.” But other EU members, notably Germany and France, strongly oppose the idea. They say it would be unfair and unwise to punish all Russians for what German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called “Putin’s war.” Visa restrictions could shrink the dwindling number of escape routes for critics, they argue, and could seal more people into the Kremlin’s echo chamber, playing on claims of Western persecution. “You risk making the EU the bad guy in the eyes of Russian citizens who may not support the regime or the war,” said one EU diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the private talks. – until the meeting in Prague. Wednesday’s meeting is unlikely to resolve who should be allowed to visit and under what conditions. A second EU diplomat with knowledge of the discussion said it would be an informal start to a “discussion” and not the final word on what comes next, if anything. A potential the compromise is to completely suspend the 2007 visa facilitation agreement with Russia, making it more difficult and expensive for Russian citizens to obtain tourist visas; according to diplomats. Although Zelensky suggested in his interview with the Post that travel restrictions should apply to all Russians, including expatriates, there appears to be little support for such a move. Much of the current debate centers on short-stay visas that allow travel of up to 90 days across the 26-country Schengen zone. More than 4 million of these visas were issued in Russia in 2019, before the pandemic, according to EU data. Member states are debating how to keep their doors open to human rights activists and dissidents, as well as whether and how to create exceptions for groups such as family members, students and scientists. Following Russia’s invasion, the Czech Republic, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia have stopped issuing short-stay visas to Russian citizens. Estonia has additionally moved to cancel short-stay visas previously issued, while Latvia requires Russian travelers entering on existing visas to sign statements opposing the war. Finland, meanwhile, has announced it will cut the number of visas granted to Russians by 90% from September 1. “It is not right that at the same time that Russia is waging an aggressive, brutal war of aggression in Europe, Russians can live a normal life, travel to Europe, be tourists. It’s not right,” Prime Minister Sanna Marin told Finland’s public broadcaster. Europeans have been in the news this summer for Russian-coated luxury vehicles at Helsinki Airport. With the widespread ban on Russian flights in effect, Russians wanting to holiday in Europe have had to drive to neighboring countries and fly from there. But Finland and the Baltics say they can only do so much to curb Russian tourism and avoid being misused as a transit route. Officials complain that many Russian tourists show up on short-stay visas issued by other Schengen countries. “We must say a clear ‘no’ to shameless Russian border free riders,” Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis wrote in a Politico opinion piece calling for “visa solidarity” within the EU. Like others advocating curbs on Russian tourism, he suggested visas should still be available on humanitarian grounds – “leaving Europe’s door open to democracy activists and those persecuted by the authoritarian regimes in Moscow and Minsk”. Other leaders and officials say the idea of ​​targeting everyday Russians to punish Putin is ill-conceived. Some question whether the tourism ban will actually move ordinary Russians to oppose the war, let alone the government. “The idea that forcing Russians to stay home would somehow cause them to change Kremlin policy is questionable even if the Russian state were democratic, and completely ridiculous when you consider that it is anything but,” wrote Anna Arutunyan, a Russian-American journalist and author. an opinion piece for the Moscow Times. “There is no historical evidence that closed borders make people push for democratic change,” he continued. “There is only evidence to the contrary.” In a discussion paper released ahead of this week’s meeting, France and Germany are backing a blanket ban on the grounds that first-hand experience of living in democratic systems could have “transformative power” for Russians, according to with DPA, the German Press Agency. “Our visa policies must reflect this and continue to allow people-to-people contacts in the EU with Russian nationals not connected to the Russian government,” the paper said. Dmitry Peskov, a Kremlin spokesman, said on Tuesday that the EU visa debate showed “absolute lack of logic”. “These are very serious decisions that may be directed against our citizens,” he said, and “they cannot go unanswered.” Kate Brady in Berlin and Mary Ilyushina in Riga, Latvia contributed to this report.

War in Ukraine: What you need to know

The last: Grain shipments from Ukraine are being accelerated under the agreement reached by Ukraine, Russia, Turkey and the United Nations in July. Russia’s blockade of Ukraine’s Black Sea ports had sent food prices skyrocketing and raised fears of more famine in the Middle East and Africa. At least 18 ships, including cargoes of wheat, corn and sunflower oil, have departed. The battle: The conflict on the ground continues as Russia uses its heavy artillery advantage to pound Ukrainian forces, which have at times managed to put up stiff resistance. In the south, Ukraine’s hopes rest on the liberation of the Russian-held Kherson region, and eventually Crimea, which Russia seized in 2014. Fears of disaster at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant remain as both sides accuse each other of bombing it. . The weapons: Western arms supplies are helping Ukraine slow Russian advances. US-supplied High Mobility Artillery Missile Systems (HIMARS) allow Ukrainian forces to strike further behind Russian lines against Russian artillery. Russia has used a range of weapons against Ukraine, some of which have drawn the attention and concern of analysts. Photos: Washington Post photographers have been on the ground since the start of the war — here are some of their strongest works. How you can help: Here are ways those in the US can help support the Ukrainian people as well as the donations people have made around the world. Read his full coverage Russia-Ukraine crisis. Are you on Telegram? Subscribe to our channel for updates and exclusive video.

title: “Ban Russian Tourists Eu Divided Over Visa Restrictions For Ordinary Russians. Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-10-27” author: “Maria Lemieux”

Comment BRUSSELS — With fighting raging in eastern Ukraine and Europe bracing for a war-induced recession, should Russians be allowed to enjoy the end of summer in the south of France? Buy luxury goods in Italy? Visiting family in Finland? These questions will be part of a discussion this week among European Union foreign ministers who are gathering for an informal meeting in Prague. And while EU countries have agreed to ban Russian flights from their airspace and put more than 1,200 people on the sanctions list, the blanket ban on Russian tourists is proving much more divisive. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is pushing for one. “Let them live in their own world until they change their philosophy,” he told the Washington Post in an interview this month. “This is the only way to influence Putin.” Calls for EU visa ban on Russians grow, but not all Ukrainians agree It has support from EU countries that share a border with Russia – the Baltics and Finland – as well as Poland and the Czech Republic. The travel ban is “another way to convey our message to the Russian people that the Kremlin must stop its genocidal war against the Ukrainian people,” Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas said in an email. “People change their minds when their own benefits are cut and their welfare is affected.” But other EU members, notably Germany and France, strongly oppose the idea. They say it would be unfair and unwise to punish all Russians for what German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called “Putin’s war.” Visa restrictions could shrink the dwindling number of escape routes for critics, they argue, and could seal more people into the Kremlin’s echo chamber, playing on claims of Western persecution. “You risk making the EU the bad guy in the eyes of Russian citizens who may not support the regime or the war,” said one EU diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the private talks. – until the meeting in Prague. Wednesday’s meeting is unlikely to resolve who should be allowed to visit and under what conditions. A second EU diplomat with knowledge of the discussion said it would be an informal start to a “discussion” and not the final word on what comes next, if anything. A potential the compromise is to completely suspend the 2007 visa facilitation agreement with Russia, making it more difficult and expensive for Russian citizens to obtain tourist visas; according to diplomats. Although Zelensky suggested in his interview with the Post that travel restrictions should apply to all Russians, including expatriates, there appears to be little support for such a move. Much of the current debate centers on short-stay visas that allow travel of up to 90 days across the 26-country Schengen zone. More than 4 million of these visas were issued in Russia in 2019, before the pandemic, according to EU data. Member states are debating how to keep their doors open to human rights activists and dissidents, as well as whether and how to create exceptions for groups such as family members, students and scientists. Following Russia’s invasion, the Czech Republic, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia have stopped issuing short-stay visas to Russian citizens. Estonia has additionally moved to cancel short-stay visas previously issued, while Latvia requires Russian travelers entering on existing visas to sign statements opposing the war. Finland, meanwhile, has announced it will cut the number of visas granted to Russians by 90% from September 1. “It is not right that at the same time that Russia is waging an aggressive, brutal war of aggression in Europe, Russians can live a normal life, travel to Europe, be tourists. It’s not right,” Prime Minister Sanna Marin told Finland’s public broadcaster. Europeans have been in the news this summer for Russian-coated luxury vehicles at Helsinki Airport. With the widespread ban on Russian flights in effect, Russians wanting to holiday in Europe have had to drive to neighboring countries and fly from there. But Finland and the Baltics say they can only do so much to curb Russian tourism and avoid being misused as a transit route. Officials complain that many Russian tourists show up on short-stay visas issued by other Schengen countries. “We must say a clear ‘no’ to shameless Russian border free riders,” Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis wrote in a Politico opinion piece calling for “visa solidarity” within the EU. Like others advocating curbs on Russian tourism, he suggested visas should still be available on humanitarian grounds – “leaving Europe’s door open to democracy activists and those persecuted by the authoritarian regimes in Moscow and Minsk”. Other leaders and officials say the idea of ​​targeting everyday Russians to punish Putin is ill-conceived. Some question whether the tourism ban will actually move ordinary Russians to oppose the war, let alone the government. “The idea that forcing Russians to stay home would somehow cause them to change Kremlin policy is questionable even if the Russian state were democratic, and completely ridiculous when you consider that it is anything but,” wrote Anna Arutunyan, a Russian-American journalist and author. an opinion piece for the Moscow Times. “There is no historical evidence that closed borders make people push for democratic change,” he continued. “There is only evidence to the contrary.” In a discussion paper released ahead of this week’s meeting, France and Germany are backing a blanket ban on the grounds that first-hand experience of living in democratic systems could have “transformative power” for Russians, according to with DPA, the German Press Agency. “Our visa policies must reflect this and continue to allow people-to-people contacts in the EU with Russian nationals not connected to the Russian government,” the paper said. Dmitry Peskov, a Kremlin spokesman, said on Tuesday that the EU visa debate showed “absolute lack of logic”. “These are very serious decisions that may be directed against our citizens,” he said, and “they cannot go unanswered.” Kate Brady in Berlin and Mary Ilyushina in Riga, Latvia contributed to this report.

War in Ukraine: What you need to know

The last: Grain shipments from Ukraine are being accelerated under the agreement reached by Ukraine, Russia, Turkey and the United Nations in July. Russia’s blockade of Ukraine’s Black Sea ports had sent food prices skyrocketing and raised fears of more famine in the Middle East and Africa. At least 18 ships, including cargoes of wheat, corn and sunflower oil, have departed. The battle: The conflict on the ground continues as Russia uses its heavy artillery advantage to pound Ukrainian forces, which have at times managed to put up stiff resistance. In the south, Ukraine’s hopes rest on the liberation of the Russian-held Kherson region, and eventually Crimea, which Russia seized in 2014. Fears of disaster at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant remain as both sides accuse each other of bombing it. . The weapons: Western arms supplies are helping Ukraine slow Russian advances. US-supplied High Mobility Artillery Missile Systems (HIMARS) allow Ukrainian forces to strike further behind Russian lines against Russian artillery. Russia has used a range of weapons against Ukraine, some of which have drawn the attention and concern of analysts. Photos: Washington Post photographers have been on the ground since the start of the war — here are some of their strongest works. How you can help: Here are ways those in the US can help support the Ukrainian people as well as the donations people have made around the world. Read his full coverage Russia-Ukraine crisis. Are you on Telegram? Subscribe to our channel for updates and exclusive video.

title: “Ban Russian Tourists Eu Divided Over Visa Restrictions For Ordinary Russians. Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-16” author: “Richard Patten”

Comment BRUSSELS — With fighting raging in eastern Ukraine and Europe bracing for a war-induced recession, should Russians be allowed to enjoy the end of summer in the south of France? Buy luxury goods in Italy? Visiting family in Finland? These questions will be part of a discussion this week among European Union foreign ministers who are gathering for an informal meeting in Prague. And while EU countries have agreed to ban Russian flights from their airspace and put more than 1,200 people on the sanctions list, the blanket ban on Russian tourists is proving much more divisive. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is pushing for one. “Let them live in their own world until they change their philosophy,” he told the Washington Post in an interview this month. “This is the only way to influence Putin.” Calls for EU visa ban on Russians grow, but not all Ukrainians agree It has support from EU countries that share a border with Russia – the Baltics and Finland – as well as Poland and the Czech Republic. The travel ban is “another way to convey our message to the Russian people that the Kremlin must stop its genocidal war against the Ukrainian people,” Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas said in an email. “People change their minds when their own benefits are cut and their welfare is affected.” But other EU members, notably Germany and France, strongly oppose the idea. They say it would be unfair and unwise to punish all Russians for what German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called “Putin’s war.” Visa restrictions could shrink the dwindling number of escape routes for critics, they argue, and could seal more people into the Kremlin’s echo chamber, playing on claims of Western persecution. “You risk making the EU the bad guy in the eyes of Russian citizens who may not support the regime or the war,” said one EU diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the private talks. – until the meeting in Prague. Wednesday’s meeting is unlikely to resolve who should be allowed to visit and under what conditions. A second EU diplomat with knowledge of the discussion said it would be an informal start to a “discussion” and not the final word on what comes next, if anything. A potential the compromise is to completely suspend the 2007 visa facilitation agreement with Russia, making it more difficult and expensive for Russian citizens to obtain tourist visas; according to diplomats. Although Zelensky suggested in his interview with the Post that travel restrictions should apply to all Russians, including expatriates, there appears to be little support for such a move. Much of the current debate centers on short-stay visas that allow travel of up to 90 days across the 26-country Schengen zone. More than 4 million of these visas were issued in Russia in 2019, before the pandemic, according to EU data. Member states are debating how to keep their doors open to human rights activists and dissidents, as well as whether and how to create exceptions for groups such as family members, students and scientists. Following Russia’s invasion, the Czech Republic, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia have stopped issuing short-stay visas to Russian citizens. Estonia has additionally moved to cancel short-stay visas previously issued, while Latvia requires Russian travelers entering on existing visas to sign statements opposing the war. Finland, meanwhile, has announced it will cut the number of visas granted to Russians by 90% from September 1. “It is not right that at the same time that Russia is waging an aggressive, brutal war of aggression in Europe, Russians can live a normal life, travel to Europe, be tourists. It’s not right,” Prime Minister Sanna Marin told Finland’s public broadcaster. Europeans have been in the news this summer for Russian-coated luxury vehicles at Helsinki Airport. With the widespread ban on Russian flights in effect, Russians wanting to holiday in Europe have had to drive to neighboring countries and fly from there. But Finland and the Baltics say they can only do so much to curb Russian tourism and avoid being misused as a transit route. Officials complain that many Russian tourists show up on short-stay visas issued by other Schengen countries. “We must say a clear ‘no’ to shameless Russian border free riders,” Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis wrote in a Politico opinion piece calling for “visa solidarity” within the EU. Like others advocating curbs on Russian tourism, he suggested visas should still be available on humanitarian grounds – “leaving Europe’s door open to democracy activists and those persecuted by the authoritarian regimes in Moscow and Minsk”. Other leaders and officials say the idea of ​​targeting everyday Russians to punish Putin is ill-conceived. Some question whether the tourism ban will actually move ordinary Russians to oppose the war, let alone the government. “The idea that forcing Russians to stay home would somehow cause them to change Kremlin policy is questionable even if the Russian state were democratic, and completely ridiculous when you consider that it is anything but,” wrote Anna Arutunyan, a Russian-American journalist and author. an opinion piece for the Moscow Times. “There is no historical evidence that closed borders make people push for democratic change,” he continued. “There is only evidence to the contrary.” In a discussion paper released ahead of this week’s meeting, France and Germany are backing a blanket ban on the grounds that first-hand experience of living in democratic systems could have “transformative power” for Russians, according to with DPA, the German Press Agency. “Our visa policies must reflect this and continue to allow people-to-people contacts in the EU with Russian nationals not connected to the Russian government,” the paper said. Dmitry Peskov, a Kremlin spokesman, said on Tuesday that the EU visa debate showed “absolute lack of logic”. “These are very serious decisions that may be directed against our citizens,” he said, and “they cannot go unanswered.” Kate Brady in Berlin and Mary Ilyushina in Riga, Latvia contributed to this report.

War in Ukraine: What you need to know

The last: Grain shipments from Ukraine are being accelerated under the agreement reached by Ukraine, Russia, Turkey and the United Nations in July. Russia’s blockade of Ukraine’s Black Sea ports had sent food prices skyrocketing and raised fears of more famine in the Middle East and Africa. At least 18 ships, including cargoes of wheat, corn and sunflower oil, have departed. The battle: The conflict on the ground continues as Russia uses its heavy artillery advantage to pound Ukrainian forces, which have at times managed to put up stiff resistance. In the south, Ukraine’s hopes rest on the liberation of the Russian-held Kherson region, and eventually Crimea, which Russia seized in 2014. Fears of disaster at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant remain as both sides accuse each other of bombing it. . The weapons: Western arms supplies are helping Ukraine slow Russian advances. US-supplied High Mobility Artillery Missile Systems (HIMARS) allow Ukrainian forces to strike further behind Russian lines against Russian artillery. Russia has used a range of weapons against Ukraine, some of which have drawn the attention and concern of analysts. Photos: Washington Post photographers have been on the ground since the start of the war — here are some of their strongest works. How you can help: Here are ways those in the US can help support the Ukrainian people as well as the donations people have made around the world. Read his full coverage Russia-Ukraine crisis. Are you on Telegram? Subscribe to our channel for updates and exclusive video.

title: “Ban Russian Tourists Eu Divided Over Visa Restrictions For Ordinary Russians. Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-01” author: “Nathan Roe”

Comment BRUSSELS — With fighting raging in eastern Ukraine and Europe bracing for a war-induced recession, should Russians be allowed to enjoy the end of summer in the south of France? Buy luxury goods in Italy? Visiting family in Finland? These questions will be part of a discussion this week among European Union foreign ministers who are gathering for an informal meeting in Prague. And while EU countries have agreed to ban Russian flights from their airspace and put more than 1,200 people on the sanctions list, the blanket ban on Russian tourists is proving much more divisive. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is pushing for one. “Let them live in their own world until they change their philosophy,” he told the Washington Post in an interview this month. “This is the only way to influence Putin.” Calls for EU visa ban on Russians grow, but not all Ukrainians agree It has support from EU countries that share a border with Russia – the Baltics and Finland – as well as Poland and the Czech Republic. The travel ban is “another way to convey our message to the Russian people that the Kremlin must stop its genocidal war against the Ukrainian people,” Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas said in an email. “People change their minds when their own benefits are cut and their welfare is affected.” But other EU members, notably Germany and France, strongly oppose the idea. They say it would be unfair and unwise to punish all Russians for what German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called “Putin’s war.” Visa restrictions could shrink the dwindling number of escape routes for critics, they argue, and could seal more people into the Kremlin’s echo chamber, playing on claims of Western persecution. “You risk making the EU the bad guy in the eyes of Russian citizens who may not support the regime or the war,” said one EU diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the private talks. – until the meeting in Prague. Wednesday’s meeting is unlikely to resolve who should be allowed to visit and under what conditions. A second EU diplomat with knowledge of the discussion said it would be an informal start to a “discussion” and not the final word on what comes next, if anything. A potential the compromise is to completely suspend the 2007 visa facilitation agreement with Russia, making it more difficult and expensive for Russian citizens to obtain tourist visas; according to diplomats. Although Zelensky suggested in his interview with the Post that travel restrictions should apply to all Russians, including expatriates, there appears to be little support for such a move. Much of the current debate centers on short-stay visas that allow travel of up to 90 days across the 26-country Schengen zone. More than 4 million of these visas were issued in Russia in 2019, before the pandemic, according to EU data. Member states are debating how to keep their doors open to human rights activists and dissidents, as well as whether and how to create exceptions for groups such as family members, students and scientists. Following Russia’s invasion, the Czech Republic, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia have stopped issuing short-stay visas to Russian citizens. Estonia has additionally moved to cancel short-stay visas previously issued, while Latvia requires Russian travelers entering on existing visas to sign statements opposing the war. Finland, meanwhile, has announced it will cut the number of visas granted to Russians by 90% from September 1. “It is not right that at the same time that Russia is waging an aggressive, brutal war of aggression in Europe, Russians can live a normal life, travel to Europe, be tourists. It’s not right,” Prime Minister Sanna Marin told Finland’s public broadcaster. Europeans have been in the news this summer for Russian-coated luxury vehicles at Helsinki Airport. With the widespread ban on Russian flights in effect, Russians wanting to holiday in Europe have had to drive to neighboring countries and fly from there. But Finland and the Baltics say they can only do so much to curb Russian tourism and avoid being misused as a transit route. Officials complain that many Russian tourists show up on short-stay visas issued by other Schengen countries. “We must say a clear ‘no’ to shameless Russian border free riders,” Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis wrote in a Politico opinion piece calling for “visa solidarity” within the EU. Like others advocating curbs on Russian tourism, he suggested visas should still be available on humanitarian grounds – “leaving Europe’s door open to democracy activists and those persecuted by the authoritarian regimes in Moscow and Minsk”. Other leaders and officials say the idea of ​​targeting everyday Russians to punish Putin is ill-conceived. Some question whether the tourism ban will actually move ordinary Russians to oppose the war, let alone the government. “The idea that forcing Russians to stay home would somehow cause them to change Kremlin policy is questionable even if the Russian state were democratic, and completely ridiculous when you consider that it is anything but,” wrote Anna Arutunyan, a Russian-American journalist and author. an opinion piece for the Moscow Times. “There is no historical evidence that closed borders make people push for democratic change,” he continued. “There is only evidence to the contrary.” In a discussion paper released ahead of this week’s meeting, France and Germany are backing a blanket ban on the grounds that first-hand experience of living in democratic systems could have “transformative power” for Russians, according to with DPA, the German Press Agency. “Our visa policies must reflect this and continue to allow people-to-people contacts in the EU with Russian nationals not connected to the Russian government,” the paper said. Dmitry Peskov, a Kremlin spokesman, said on Tuesday that the EU visa debate showed “absolute lack of logic”. “These are very serious decisions that may be directed against our citizens,” he said, and “they cannot go unanswered.” Kate Brady in Berlin and Mary Ilyushina in Riga, Latvia contributed to this report.

War in Ukraine: What you need to know

The last: Grain shipments from Ukraine are being accelerated under the agreement reached by Ukraine, Russia, Turkey and the United Nations in July. Russia’s blockade of Ukraine’s Black Sea ports had sent food prices skyrocketing and raised fears of more famine in the Middle East and Africa. At least 18 ships, including cargoes of wheat, corn and sunflower oil, have departed. The battle: The conflict on the ground continues as Russia uses its heavy artillery advantage to pound Ukrainian forces, which have at times managed to put up stiff resistance. In the south, Ukraine’s hopes rest on the liberation of the Russian-held Kherson region, and eventually Crimea, which Russia seized in 2014. Fears of disaster at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant remain as both sides accuse each other of bombing it. . The weapons: Western arms supplies are helping Ukraine slow Russian advances. US-supplied High Mobility Artillery Missile Systems (HIMARS) allow Ukrainian forces to strike further behind Russian lines against Russian artillery. Russia has used a range of weapons against Ukraine, some of which have drawn the attention and concern of analysts. Photos: Washington Post photographers have been on the ground since the start of the war — here are some of their strongest works. How you can help: Here are ways those in the US can help support the Ukrainian people as well as the donations people have made around the world. Read his full coverage Russia-Ukraine crisis. Are you on Telegram? Subscribe to our channel for updates and exclusive video.

title: “Ban Russian Tourists Eu Divided Over Visa Restrictions For Ordinary Russians. Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-10-29” author: “Mary Boender”

Comment BRUSSELS — With fighting raging in eastern Ukraine and Europe bracing for a war-induced recession, should Russians be allowed to enjoy the end of summer in the south of France? Buy luxury goods in Italy? Visiting family in Finland? These questions will be part of a discussion this week among European Union foreign ministers who are gathering for an informal meeting in Prague. And while EU countries have agreed to ban Russian flights from their airspace and put more than 1,200 people on the sanctions list, the blanket ban on Russian tourists is proving much more divisive. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is pushing for one. “Let them live in their own world until they change their philosophy,” he told the Washington Post in an interview this month. “This is the only way to influence Putin.” Calls for EU visa ban on Russians grow, but not all Ukrainians agree It has support from EU countries that share a border with Russia – the Baltics and Finland – as well as Poland and the Czech Republic. The travel ban is “another way to convey our message to the Russian people that the Kremlin must stop its genocidal war against the Ukrainian people,” Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas said in an email. “People change their minds when their own benefits are cut and their welfare is affected.” But other EU members, notably Germany and France, strongly oppose the idea. They say it would be unfair and unwise to punish all Russians for what German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called “Putin’s war.” Visa restrictions could shrink the dwindling number of escape routes for critics, they argue, and could seal more people into the Kremlin’s echo chamber, playing on claims of Western persecution. “You risk making the EU the bad guy in the eyes of Russian citizens who may not support the regime or the war,” said one EU diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the private talks. – until the meeting in Prague. Wednesday’s meeting is unlikely to resolve who should be allowed to visit and under what conditions. A second EU diplomat with knowledge of the discussion said it would be an informal start to a “discussion” and not the final word on what comes next, if anything. A potential the compromise is to completely suspend the 2007 visa facilitation agreement with Russia, making it more difficult and expensive for Russian citizens to obtain tourist visas; according to diplomats. Although Zelensky suggested in his interview with the Post that travel restrictions should apply to all Russians, including expatriates, there appears to be little support for such a move. Much of the current debate centers on short-stay visas that allow travel of up to 90 days across the 26-country Schengen zone. More than 4 million of these visas were issued in Russia in 2019, before the pandemic, according to EU data. Member states are debating how to keep their doors open to human rights activists and dissidents, as well as whether and how to create exceptions for groups such as family members, students and scientists. Following Russia’s invasion, the Czech Republic, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia have stopped issuing short-stay visas to Russian citizens. Estonia has additionally moved to cancel short-stay visas previously issued, while Latvia requires Russian travelers entering on existing visas to sign statements opposing the war. Finland, meanwhile, has announced it will cut the number of visas granted to Russians by 90% from September 1. “It is not right that at the same time that Russia is waging an aggressive, brutal war of aggression in Europe, Russians can live a normal life, travel to Europe, be tourists. It’s not right,” Prime Minister Sanna Marin told Finland’s public broadcaster. Europeans have been in the news this summer for Russian-coated luxury vehicles at Helsinki Airport. With the widespread ban on Russian flights in effect, Russians wanting to holiday in Europe have had to drive to neighboring countries and fly from there. But Finland and the Baltics say they can only do so much to curb Russian tourism and avoid being misused as a transit route. Officials complain that many Russian tourists show up on short-stay visas issued by other Schengen countries. “We must say a clear ‘no’ to shameless Russian border free riders,” Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis wrote in a Politico opinion piece calling for “visa solidarity” within the EU. Like others advocating curbs on Russian tourism, he suggested visas should still be available on humanitarian grounds – “leaving Europe’s door open to democracy activists and those persecuted by the authoritarian regimes in Moscow and Minsk”. Other leaders and officials say the idea of ​​targeting everyday Russians to punish Putin is ill-conceived. Some question whether the tourism ban will actually move ordinary Russians to oppose the war, let alone the government. “The idea that forcing Russians to stay home would somehow cause them to change Kremlin policy is questionable even if the Russian state were democratic, and completely ridiculous when you consider that it is anything but,” wrote Anna Arutunyan, a Russian-American journalist and author. an opinion piece for the Moscow Times. “There is no historical evidence that closed borders make people push for democratic change,” he continued. “There is only evidence to the contrary.” In a discussion paper released ahead of this week’s meeting, France and Germany are backing a blanket ban on the grounds that first-hand experience of living in democratic systems could have “transformative power” for Russians, according to with DPA, the German Press Agency. “Our visa policies must reflect this and continue to allow people-to-people contacts in the EU with Russian nationals not connected to the Russian government,” the paper said. Dmitry Peskov, a Kremlin spokesman, said on Tuesday that the EU visa debate showed “absolute lack of logic”. “These are very serious decisions that may be directed against our citizens,” he said, and “they cannot go unanswered.” Kate Brady in Berlin and Mary Ilyushina in Riga, Latvia contributed to this report.

War in Ukraine: What you need to know

The last: Grain shipments from Ukraine are being accelerated under the agreement reached by Ukraine, Russia, Turkey and the United Nations in July. Russia’s blockade of Ukraine’s Black Sea ports had sent food prices skyrocketing and raised fears of more famine in the Middle East and Africa. At least 18 ships, including cargoes of wheat, corn and sunflower oil, have departed. The battle: The conflict on the ground continues as Russia uses its heavy artillery advantage to pound Ukrainian forces, which have at times managed to put up stiff resistance. In the south, Ukraine’s hopes rest on the liberation of the Russian-held Kherson region, and eventually Crimea, which Russia seized in 2014. Fears of disaster at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant remain as both sides accuse each other of bombing it. . The weapons: Western arms supplies are helping Ukraine slow Russian advances. US-supplied High Mobility Artillery Missile Systems (HIMARS) allow Ukrainian forces to strike further behind Russian lines against Russian artillery. Russia has used a range of weapons against Ukraine, some of which have drawn the attention and concern of analysts. Photos: Washington Post photographers have been on the ground since the start of the war — here are some of their strongest works. How you can help: Here are ways those in the US can help support the Ukrainian people as well as the donations people have made around the world. Read his full coverage Russia-Ukraine crisis. Are you on Telegram? Subscribe to our channel for updates and exclusive video.