EU considers visa restrictions for Russians after Leipzig sabotage - Bloomberg
The European Union is preparing to discuss new restrictions against Russia after Germany accused Moscow of orchestrating a drone attack at the Leipzig/Halle Airport. Possible measures include reducing the issuance of tourist visas to Russians, restricting the movement of Russian diplomats, and imposing new sanctions against the shadow fleet.
According to Censor.NET, which cites Bloomberg, sources familiar with the discussions told the agency about this.
EU ambassadors will discuss the new restrictions
According to Bloomberg, European Union ambassadors are set to discuss possible measures in the coming weeks.
Among the proposals are tightening restrictions on the issuance of tourist visas to Russian citizens, limiting the ability of Russian diplomats to move freely within EU countries, and imposing new sanctions against ships in the shadow fleet that transport Russian oil.
The debate intensified following an incident at Leipzig/Halle Airport. One drone loaded with explosives was discovered near a Ukrainian cargo plane, and another was found near the airport.
Germany has accused Russia of involvement in the sabotage and has already announced that it will tighten its visa policy and border controls for Russian citizens.
The German Foreign Ministry stated that Russian tourist travel cannot continue in its current form, and that Berlin considers the number of visas issued to Russians to be too high and intends to reduce it.
Poland is proposing to go even further
Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski called on the EU to reduce the number of Russian diplomats by approximately 40 percent. According to him, some of them are carrying out tasks that are incompatible with their diplomatic status.
He also called for restrictions on the movement of Russian diplomats within the European Union, a reduction in the issuance of Schengen visas to Russians, and the mandatory use of biometric documents by Russian citizens for entry into the EU.
France, which—along with Italy and Spain—is among the EU countries that issue the most tourist visas to Russians, is also considering further measures.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barro stated that Paris is prepared to support additional measures if circumstances require it.
In the wake of the sabotage, Germany also decided to close the "Russian House" in Berlin and the Russian consulate in Bonn.
