EU to make issuing visas for Russians a very difficult procedure. Espreso

Ukraine's acting Minister of Foreign Affairs in 2009, Volodymyr Khandogii, said this on Espreso TV. 

"It all started with talks about a total ban on visas for Russians. Such a position was not accepted by all EU members. Today, in my opinion, the Czech Republic came up with a compromise option - issuing visas on a general basis. The cancellation of the simplified regime is the installation of additional barriers. There will be conditions that will make issuing visas a very difficult procedure", he said.

According to the diplomat, visas are a very important mechanism and lever in the foreign policy of each state, and it will be very difficult to reach a unified solution for 27 countries.

"Such a decision at the moment is not a bad one. It was necessary to hang a barn lock on the border with Russia a long time ago. The cancellation of the simplified regime is an important step. Any decision regarding visas should be targeted. In my opinion, it is much more important to ban the entry of Russian diplomats. Refusal of a visa to Lavrov for the UN General Assembly would be very revealing. The effectiveness of a total ban is a debatable issue, and the cancellation of the simplified regime is a normal way out that the EU will get", Khandogii concluded.