EU may exempt Russians under 25 from visa restrictions, media reports

This was reported by EUobserver with reference to its own sources.

According to the publication, the EU states are discussing compromise options for introducing visa restrictions for Russia, which would not involve a total ban.

"There are many ideas. Perhaps, in the end, only certain categories of Russians will be covered. Or in the future, the EU will annually issue a limited number of Russian tourist visas," the interlocutor of the publication said.

Another source of the publication reported on the promotion of the waiver of any visa restrictions for Russian youth.

"There is a kind of obsession in EU leadership with Russian youth - those who are younger than 25 years old. But most of the Russian soldiers who kill and rape people in Ukraine are younger than 25 years old. We have to get rid of the idea that this is just "Putin's war" and not  Russian war in general," said the EUobserver interlocutor.

A European diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity, predicted separate negotiations on a complete ban on visas for Russians.

"I expect that separate negotiations on a complete ban on visas for Russian tourists will begin only after the decision on Wednesday," said the interlocutor of the publication.

The introduction of visa restrictions for Russians will be discussed at a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Prague on August 31.