MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 18th August, 2022) European bans on issuing visas to Russians will escalate tensions with the EU's eastern neighbor and complicate the Ukrainian peace process, the co-leader of the German right-wing AfD party told Sputnik.
"This step stokes anti-Russian sentiment and contradicts the customs of civilized countries. I fear that it will fuel the escalation and make peace negotiations even more difficult," Tino Chrupalla, who heads the AfD faction in the German Bundestag, said.
Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Finland and the Czech Republic have announced curbs on travel for Russian citizens. Estonia will stop all Russians with Estonian-issued Schengen visas from entering this week, while Finland will cut the number of tourist visas issued to Russians to 10% of the current amount from September.
Chrupalla called restrictions an attempt to "make Russian citizens collectively liable for the war." German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has so far resisted calls from the Baltic nations and Finland to back an EU-wide ban on Russian travelers.
