White House rules out visa ban for all Russians

Speaking to Russian opposition television channel Dozhd on Sept. 3 Kirby said he didn’t see a need to turn visa sanctions against the regime into a war with the entire Russian people.

Read also: EU stops the EU-Russia visa agreement

He said restrictions should apply to individual Russians, with the United States considering it a tool to help prosecute supporters of Putin’s regime.

Earlier, Ukrainian authorities called for the complete visa ban by the European Union on all Russians.

While a complete ban was not implemented due to the resistance of some EU member states, a compromise was agreed that ended the simplified procedures for issuing visas to Russian citizens.

Josep Borrell, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy,  confirmed on Aug. 31 that EU foreign ministers had reached an agreement to completely stop the simplfied visa issuance system for Russians.

Read also: Latvian president calls for revoking visas, residence permits for Russians supporting war

The issue has risked splitting the EU, with the countries of the bloc bordering Russia in favor of banning all visits by Russian tourists, while countries further to the west oppose the idea.

Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine