As the conflict in Ukraine intensifies, the European Union (EU) has announced plans to suspend visa requirements for Russian nationals in an effort to reduce border crossings from Russia into the EU.
The agreement between the European Union and Russia to facilitate visa applications has been completely suspended following political agreement among European foreign ministers.
This was stated by Josep Borrell, the head of EU foreign policy, during a press conference on Wednesday in Prague.
“Since mid of July, we’ve seen a substantial increase in border crossing from Russia, in the neighbouring States. And this has become a security risk for these neighboring states,” Borrell said.
Borrell mentioned that many Russians travelling to EU member States have behaved as if no war was raging in Ukraine.
“We’re not business as usual, it can’t be business as usual.
“It’s going to be more difficult, it’s going to be a longer process. And consequently, the number of new visas will be substantially reduced,” he stated.