Germany does not support the ban on tourist visas for Russian citizens
2022-08-16 10:59:04
TiranaPost
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is refusing to back growing calls for an EU-wide ban on tourist visas for Russians.
Speaking in Oslo after a meeting with Nordic leaders, Scholz said: "This is not the war of the Russian people. It is Putin's war and we must be very clear on this topic."
"It is important for us to understand that there are many people who are fleeing Russia because they do not agree with the Russian regime," he told a news conference on Monday in the Norwegian capital.
Over the past month, Finland and Estonia have been among the leading voices calling for an EU-wide approach to tackle the issue of Russians taking advantage of a sanctions "loophole" that allows them to travel by land to the EU.
There is concern that this allows Russians to use international airports such as Helsinki to travel freely, go on holiday and avoid the consequences that the sanctions were intended to have.
