Berlin proposes that EU suspends deal with Russia on easing visa procedures

Germany has proposed that the European Union suspend an agreement with Russia that eases visa issuance, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said at a news conference on Tuesday following a closed-door meeting of the nation’s cabinet outside Berlin.

"My proposal, and I believe that it’s well-founded, is to make it clear that we are suspending the visa facilitation agreement [with Russia]," Baerbok said, adding that the move would mean Russian citizens wouldn’t be able to get long-term Schengen visas from Germany. She said that EU governments in the future will perform more careful checks of why Russians are applying for a visa.

The minister said Germany is located in the middle of Europe not just in geographic terms, but also in terms of the discussion around a possible ban on issuing visas to Russians. Baerbock said some EU countries demand to completely stop issuing visas to Russians, while other states, on the contrary, believe that would be impractical. The proposed measure, she said, would be a "good bridge" for resolving internal disputes in the EU.

The German foreign minister said that it’s necessary to allow Schengen visas for students and persons who, according to her, are persecuted in Russia for political reasons.