Ukraine's foreign minister calls on Europe to close borders to Russian citizens
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha called on European countries to close their borders to Russian citizens on Sunday, 18 October, urging real entry bans for Russian fighters and their families, maximum restrictions on non-essential visas, and limits on Russian diplomats' freedom of movement. He framed the measures as a matter of national security for every European country, warning that Russia's attacks on Europe are escalating beyond hybrid warfare and that only harsh pressure can stop him.
Key points
- Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha called on Europe to close borders to Russian citizens on Sunday, 18 October.
- Sybiha said Russian combatants and members of their families should not be allowed to enter the EU and that real entry bans are needed urgently.
- He called for non-essential visa issuance to Russian citizens to be maximally restricted across all European states, calling it a matter of national security.
- Sybiha said Russian diplomats should not be able to move freely around Europe.
- He warned that Russia's attacks on Europe are no longer only hybrid, are intensifying and growing in scale, and require immediate action.
- Sybiha said Vladimir Putin is 'catching new cannon fodder from the streets' and argued a pan-European initiative would be especially timely.
- The call was posted on the social network X on Sunday, 18 October.
Why it matters
The call represents an official Ukrainian push for a pan-European entry ban on Russian citizens, rather than the patchwork of national-level restrictions currently in place. It goes beyond tourists to also target Russian combatants and their families and to limit Russian diplomats' freedom of movement, and ties the visa question to a broader claim that Russia's attacks on Europe are escalating beyond hybrid warfare.
What happened
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha posted a call on the social network X on Sunday, 18 October, urging European countries to close their borders to Russian citizens. He said Russian combatants and members of their families should not be allowed to enter the EU and that real entry bans are needed as soon as possible. Sybiha called for non-essential visa issuance to Russian citizens to be maximally restricted across all European states, describing this as a matter of national security for every European country. He also said Russian diplomats should not be able to move freely around Europe, and argued that Russia's attacks on Europe are no longer only hybrid but are intensifying and growing in scale, requiring immediate action. Sybiha added that only harsh pressure can stop Putin, whom he described as catching new 'cannon fodder' from the streets, and said a pan-European initiative would be especially timely at this moment. He noted that similar entry-ban measures have already been implemented at the national level, including in Estonia.
Background
Finland's foreign minister recently called on EU member states to stop issuing tourist visas to Russian citizens until the Russia-Ukraine war ends; Estonia joined that call and Lithuania has said it will firmly uphold its position in favour of a ban on tourist visas for Russian citizens. Sybiha noted that similar entry-ban measures have already been implemented at the national level, including in Estonia.