Germany: Call for tourist visa ban for Russians

There are calls from the CDU/CSU to ban the issuing of Schengen visas to Russian nationals.

Berlin - "The federal government should not oppose our European partners again: holiday visas for Russians must be stopped," said Union parliamentary group leader Andrea Lindholz (CSU) in an interview with Bild. Holiday destinations in Putin's Russia "should no longer be called Paris and Porto but Pyngyang and Beijing". It's about sending "clear signals" to the Russian population as well.

Support for the initiative comes from the European Parliament: "It is unbearable that Russians are vacationing in Europe and celebrating their money as if nothing had happened," said European politician Dennis Radtke (CDU)". Contrary to what Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) claims, Russia's campaign against Ukraine is "not just Putin's war." Germany and Europe are currently threatening "to fall asleep with sanctions and arms deliveries."

Radtke joined calls from countries like Estonia and Finland for tougher action on Russia. "Anyone who wants to stop Putin must not give up now, but must follow up with a ban on tourist visas for Russian citizens," said Radtke. Within the Union, however, there are also dissenting voices.

The CDU member of the Bundestag, Philipp Amthor, told the broadcasters RTL and ntv that one must also be careful "that we do not punish the Russian people collectively for the dictator Vladimir Putin". But it is also right to discuss such a measure, since "unbearable" cases of the spread of propaganda in Europe have been seen, said Amthor.

Source: Der Newsticker

Photo: Adrien Fillon/NurPhoto/REX/Shutterstock