Yesterday in Luxembourg, the interior ministers of EU countries, along with the newly appointed minister from Latvia, Janis Dombrova, discussed the proposal outlined in a joint letter from Poland, the Baltic states, Norway, and nine other Schengen zone countries. The authors of the document urge the European Union to limit the travel opportunities of Russian citizens in Europe while Russia continues its war against Ukraine.
Latvian Interior Minister Janis Dombrova supported the initiative of several European countries to tighten the visa regime for Russian citizens and advocated for a Europe-wide entry ban for Russians involved in the war against Ukraine. In his Facebook post, the minister reported on his trip:
Russians, including those involved in the war against Ukraine, pose a security threat to all of Europe.
◾️ It was proposed that individual EU countries stop issuing visas to citizens of Russia and Belarus.
◾️ Latvia will join Estonia's initiative and add many Russian military personnel who participated in the war against Ukraine to the Schengen "black list." Latvia also calls on the European Union to include all participants in the armed aggression from Russia in this list.
Migrants, who, with the support of Belarusian authorities, are trying to illegally cross the borders of Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland.
◾️ During a separate meeting with the European Commissioner for Migration, dissatisfaction was expressed regarding the previous passivity of the EU on this issue. According to the Latvian side, changes in European legislation are necessary to more effectively counter hybrid threats at the Union's external borders. The European Commissioner confirmed that he would take Latvia's demands for improving the EU legal framework into account.
◾️ There was also a call for the European Union to more accurately reflect the scale of migration pressure at the borders, taking into account not only instances of illegal crossings but also prevented attempts to cross the border. States guarding the EU's external borders should receive additional support for infrastructure development and strengthening human resources.
"It is very unpleasant to see more and more Russian tourists vacationing on European beaches and resorts while rocket and drone strikes against civilians continue in Ukraine," the aforementioned letter states.
