US rejects Ukraine’s request for a total visa ban on Russians

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy first pushed for the visa ban in an interview with The Washington Post earlier this month, saying Russians ‘must live in their own world until they change their philosophy’ .

Zelenskiy then made another call a few weeks ago for European Union countries to ban visas for Russian nationals, to prevent the bloc from becoming a ‘supermarket’ open to anyone with the means. to enter.

A Foreign Ministry spokesperson said the Biden administration had already imposed visa restrictions on Kremlin officials, but made clear it would focus on identifying those involved in the Russian invasion of Ukraine and hold them accountable.

“The United States would not want to close avenues of refuge and safety to Russian dissidents or others vulnerable to human rights abuses,” a State Department spokesperson said.

“We have also been clear that it is important to draw a line between the actions of the Russian government and its policies in Ukraine, and the Russian people,” the spokesperson added.

Some European leaders, such as Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin and her Estonian counterpart Kaja Kallas, have called for an EU-wide visa ban. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz opposed it on Monday, saying Russians should be allowed to flee their country if they disagree with the regime.