Decision to stop issuing visas to Russian nationals must be made at EU level - Latvian Prime Minister 

He stated this during a meeting with the Prime Minister of Lithuania Ingrida Šimonite.

According to him, it is necessary to make a decision to stop issuing Schengen tourist visas to citizens of Russia at the level of the European Union, thereby strengthening sanctions against Russia.

Earlier it became known that the Czech Republic, which presides over the EU, announced that the bloc's next sanctions against Russia may include a general ban on issuing visas to Russian citizens.

The President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy in an interview with the American newspaper The Washington Post, also called on the West to ban the entry of all Russian citizens. He stated that this is one of the ways to prevent the annexation of Ukrainian territories by Russia. Zelenskyy said that Russians need to "live in their own world until they change their philosophy."

Estonia and Finland have already appealed to other EU member states to stop issuing tourist visas to Russians. On Thursday, the Sejm of Latvia joined this call, recognizing Russia as a state that supports terrorism.

Latvia announced a suspension of visas to citizens of Russia and Belarus last week, and on Thursday Estonia announced that it was suspending visas to citizens of Russia, with some exceptions.

The Czech Republic stopped issuing visas to Russian citizens on February 25, the day after Russia invaded Ukraine.