Ukraine wants foreign countries to ban Russian travelers

• Ukraine has called on foreign countries to prevent Russian tourists from visiting their country.
• Ukrainian officials say it may be the most effective way to end the war.
• Russia invaded Ukraine more than 6 months ago.

Ukraine has called on the European Union and the Group of Seven to ban Russian travelers in a bid to end the Russian invasion, NBC News mentioned.

The call was met with mixed reactions from different countries with some against the idea of ​​visa bans for ordinary Russians, NBC News reported.

“We’re not talking about punishment, we’re talking about restrictive measures aimed at ending the war,” Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Reinsalu told NBC News. “The right to enter any particular country is not a human right.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had previously called for Russian tourists to be banned, saying Washington Post Earlier this month he said that “the most important sanctions are closing the borders – because the Russians are taking someone else’s land.”

It has been More than six months Since Russia invaded Ukraine.

in editorial Earlier this week, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said banning Russian tourists, businessmen and students would be an “appropriate response to Russia’s genocidal war”.

“But why punish the commoners of the Russians?” Some ask. Because the vast majority of them support this war, chant for the killing of Ukrainian civilians, praise the missile strikes on Ukrainian cities, and deny the Russian war crimes.”

Countries such as Germany and the United States have expressed opposition to visa bans for ordinary Russian citizens.

“This is not the Russian people’s war, but Putin’s war,” German Chancellor Olaf Schulz said. Politico.

Reuters It reported that a State Department spokesperson said the US “would not want to close the corridors of refuge and safety for Russian dissidents or others at risk of human rights abuses.”

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

NBC News reported that Poland and Finland backed the ban on Russian tourists. Finland also said it will reduce the number of visas it grants to Russians from next month, Reuters mentioned.