Germany says proposal to ban issuing Schengen visas to Russians presented for talks in EU

proposal to ban issuance of Schengen visas to Russians has been introduced for discussion in European Union, German Cabinet spokesperson Steffen Hebestreit said. Hebestreit stated that Berlin will now discuss proposal "between Cabinet members and within EU," TASS reported. Steffen Hebestreit said that discussions have not been completed yet and he cannot reveal "interim results." 

Steffen Hebestreit furr stated that German government has taken "note" of proposal at EU level. Notably, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged all Western nations to ban entry for all Russians. In an interview with Washington Post, Zelenskyy stressed that " most important sanctions are to close borders because Russians are taking away someone else's land." He proposed that Russians should “live in isolation until y change ir philosophy." Meanwhile, Estonia and Finland have urged European countries to stop issuing tourist visas to Russian nationals. 

Estonia & Finland calls on EU to stop issuing tourist visas to Russians 

leers of Estonia and Finland said that people of Russia should not be allowed to take vacations in Europe while Moscow continues its military offensive in Ukraine. Estonia's Prime Minister Kaja Kallas said that y should stop issuing tourist visas to Russians. Taking to her official Twitter handle, Kallas said, "Stop issuing tourist visas to Russians. Visiting Europe is a privilege, not a human right" and that it is "Time to end tourism from Russia now." Echoing similar remarks as Kallas, according to AP, Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin told Finnish brocaster YLE that, "it is not right that while Russia is waging an aggressive, brutal war of aggression in Europe, Russians can live a normal life, travel in Europe, be tourists." 

Estonia and Finland are both members of European Union and both nations have banned air travel from Russia after Moscow launched an offensive in Ukraine. However, Russians can travel to both nations by taking flights to or European nations. Meanwhile, Russian President Vlimir Putin's Press secretary Dmitry Peskov said that calls for travel bans have been me by countries that have been considered “hostile” by Russia, according to AP. He hoped that common sense will "manifest itself" and those who make statements like se will "come to ir senses." 

(Inputs from AP)