Finland‘s foreign minister on Monday called on EU member states to stop issuing tourist visas to citizens of its larger neighbor Russia until Moscow ends its war in Ukraine.
Elina Valtonen urged the European Commission to adopt stricter guidelines for processing Russian visa applications and proposed legislative changes needed to implement a complete tourist visa ban, the Finnish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
“As long as Russia continues its invasion, Russian citizens should not be issued tourist visas,” she said.
“Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine is now in its fifth year. 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.”
Valtonen said the number of tourist visas issued to Russians by Schengen countries had risen in recent years, with nearly half a million granted in 2025.
“Issuing visas to Russians for non-essential travel was banned by government resolution in Finland already in 2022,” Valtonen said. “The same must finally happen at the EU level.”
Valtonen invited other EU member states to join a letter to the European Commission calling for the ban.
The letter also proposes banning Schengen visas for Russian President Vladimir Putin’s inner circle and introducing visa restrictions for Russian athletes.
It further calls for effective implementation of a visa ban on current and former Russian combatants agreed by EU member states this summer, according to the statement.
At 1,343 kilometers (834 miles), Finland has the longest border of any European Union member state with Russia.
The Soviet Union invaded Finland in November 1939. The Winter War, as it is known, lasted for over three months and despite heavy losses, the USSR won.
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