As a reaction to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, Lithuania has already largely suspended issuing visas and residence permits to Russians – similar to the other two Baltic states of Estonia and Latvia. Estonia has also decided that from August 18, Russian citizens will no longer be allowed to enter the country with a Schengen visa issued by Estonia.
However, Landsbergis doubted the effectiveness of the government’s measure in Tallinn, as Russian citizens are still allowed to enter the country with visas issued by other EU countries. “Today, a Russian citizen can get a visa at a German consulate in any Russian city where there is a consulate and travel to where he wants to go on vacation via Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania or Poland,” he said the agency BNS. It is precisely for this reason that a Europe-wide solution is necessary.