Rada Asking EU Countries To Cancel Issuance Of Visas To Citizens Of Russia

The Verkhovna Rada is asking the countries of the European Union to cancel the issuance of visas to citizens of Russia.

324 and 327 MPs voted for the adoption of draft resolutions No. 7710 and No. 7733, respectively, Ukrainian News Agency reports.

Thus, the Verkhovna Rada is calling on the EU countries:

• to cancel the validity of existing tourist visas for Russians, including those who are already in the territory of EU countries, as well as cancel existing air and land connections with the Russian Federation;
• introduce the 8th package of sanctions, which should include, in particular, a full embargo on the import of the most important Russian export goods, including oil, gas, coal, gold, the disconnection of all Russian banks from the international SWIFT interbank system, the termination of all Russian energy investments in the EU, including in nuclear energy, to introduce, as well as ban Russian shipping, logistics and access to ports on the territory of EU member states;
• to investigate and punish those guilty of terrible war crimes and crimes against humanity, atrocities against Ukrainians committed by the Russian occupiers;
• impose tough sanctions against Rosatom and the entire Russian nuclear industry in response to nuclear blackmail and to prevent a precedent for other terrorists;
• to urgently take measures and force Russia to release the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant and return it to the control of Ukraine for the sake of the security of the whole world.

In another resolution, the parliamentarians ask the European Council to approve the political decision of the EU regarding:

• complete termination of the Agreement between the EU and Russia on the simplified procedure for obtaining visas;
• non-recognition of Russian passports issued in the recently occupied territories of Ukraine;
• developing a joint EU position on canceling 10 million valid Schengen visas already issued to Russians.

As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba called on all countries of the European Union and the G7 (USA, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Japan) to stop issuing visas to Russians.