Russian President Vladimir Putin yesterday signed a decree introducing visa restrictions for citizens of countries that Moscow deems "unfriendly" in response to sanctions over Ukraine.
Russian media reports say the decree, which came into force on Monday, suspends Russia's simplified visa issuance regime with some European Union countries as well as Norway, Switzerland, Denmark and Iceland.
According to a government statement, the list includes Albania, Andorra, Australia, Great Britain, including Jersey, Anguilla, British Virgin Islands, Gibraltar, European Union member states, Iceland, Canada, Liechtenstein, Micronesia, Monaco, New Zealand, Norway, South Korea, San Marino, North Macedonia, Singapore, United States, Taiwan, Ukraine, Montenegro, Switzerland and Japan.
Putin’s latest decree includes suspension of Visa-free entry into Russia for holders of diplomatic passports for all EU countries, which of course includes Greece and Cyprus and the list above.
It also ordered the Russian foreign ministry and other bodies to decide on introducing personal entry restrictions on "foreign citizens and stateless people who commit unfriendly actions against Russia, its citizens or its legal entities."
Last month the Russian government approved a list of unfriendly countries including the United States, Canada, Britain, EU states and Ukraine, among others.
Meanwhile, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy pledged to continue peace talks with Russia. “It’s difficult to say how, after all what has been done, we can have any kind of negotiations with Russia. But as president, I have to do it. Any war has to end,” Zelenskiy told CBS.
Russia sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine on Feb. 24 in what it called a special military operation, which reportedly “seeks to save people, demilitarize and denazify Ukraine in order to prevent such things from happening.”
