The Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs is preparing proposals to the European Union to suspend the issuance of Schengen visas to Russian citizens. Minister Urmas Reinsalu considers it morally wrong to let them into the Louvre while children are being killed in Ukraine.

This is reported by ERR.EE.

"The point is that like Estonia said that the European Union does not issue visas to Russian citizens under normal conditions," Reinsalu said, noting that there are humanitarian cases, such as the associates of Alexei Navalny, for which the issue should be considered separately.

He noted that "it's really curious that Russian citizens are now traveling en masse across Russia's western border - through Finland, Latvia, Lithuania - to visit the Louvre in the summer, while children are being killed in Ukraine. This is certainly morally wrong.

According to Reinsalu, Estonia should also assess whether to revoke visas already issued on certain grounds. In this case in March, when Estonia announced the temporary cessation of issuing tourist visas to Russians, the Foreign Ministry assured that Russian citizens who already have a Schengen visa issued by Estonia, will still be able to enter the Republic of Estonia.

According to the minister, the issue of visas for Russian citizens has already been discussed in the European Union in March, but at that time in Russia there were restrictions caused by the coronavirus and travel was not as massive as it is now.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs wants to prepare proposals for the EU in the coming weeks, the Estonian foreign minister added.

"I have already voiced the issue to the foreign ministers of Finland and Latvia, and we will certainly consult with the governments of our region to find broader support for this initiative. We need all countries to be in favor. We are going to go a new round with this issue, I hope for that support. The situation is different now than it was in the spring," he said.

Note, according to a Pew Research poll, the invasion of Ukraine has led to a sharp deterioration in attitudes toward Russia around the world. Putin tops anti-rating of politicians least trusted.