Finland calls for banning Russian tourists from entering Europe
Photo: Finland calls for banning Russian tourists from entering Europe (Getty Images)
Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen called on European Union countries to completely stop issuing tourist Schengen visas to Russians until Moscow ends its war against Ukraine.
The Finnish Foreign Ministry's official statement says that as long as Russia continues its war of aggression, its citizens should not be issued tourist visas.
The outlet notes that Russia is now in the fifth year of its war of aggression against Ukraine.
"It is not right that Russians can travel to Europe to enjoy the way of life and freedoms here while their country bombs the homes of Ukrainians," said Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen.
According to her, Finland banned the issuance of visas to Russians for non-essential travel at the national level back in 2022. Helsinki is now pushing for similar restrictions to be introduced across the entire European Union.
"The same must finally happen at the EU level," the Finnish foreign minister stressed.
How many tourist visas have Russians received?
One of Finland's arguments is the increase in the number of Schengen tourist visas issued to Russian citizens despite the ongoing war against Ukraine.
According to the Finnish Foreign Ministry, Schengen Area countries issued nearly 500,000 tourist visas to Russians in 2025. Their number has increased in recent years.
Valtonen has approached other EU countries with a proposal to join a joint letter to the European Commission. In it, Helsinki wants to call for a stricter visa policy toward Russian citizens.
What other restrictions is Finland proposing?
In total, the Finnish side has put forward five proposals to restrict Russians' entry into the European Union.
In addition to completely stopping the issuance of tourist visas and permits for other non-essential travel, Helsinki proposes introducing a mandatory ban on issuing visas to people in Russian President Vladimir Putin's inner circle, as well as to individuals and organizations subject to EU sanctions.
Another proposal concerns restricting entry for Russian athletes and members of sports teams who have close ties to the Russian state.
Finland is also pushing for restrictions on Russians who have fought against Ukraine. EU countries previously agreed on restrictions for former Russian military personnel, but the mechanism for implementing the ban was eased due to disagreements among member states.
The fifth proposal calls for amending the EU Visa Code. Finland wants to create a mechanism that would allow the European Union to introduce visa restrictions quickly and make them mandatory when relations with a third country deteriorate sharply for political or security reasons.
The European Commission plans to present new proposals on visa policy in January. They are expected to take a tougher approach toward countries that pose a threat to EU security, including Russia.
On October 11, it was reported that the European Commission was preparing proposals to tighten visa rules for Russian citizens.
