Estonia tightens Russian visa rules as Scholz skeptical of ban

Estonia issued tough new restrictions on visas for Russian nationals, reinforcing a call to ban entry for many into the European Union even as German Chancellor Olaf Scholz all but ruled out such a bloc-wide measure. Calls are mounting among eastern member states that a new round of EU sanctions should include restrictions on Russian nationals entering the 27-member bloc. Ukraine’s top diplomat added his voice to those saying President Vladimir Putin’s invasion should have consequences for Russians wanting to travel west. “Banning visas is the most efficient personal sanction,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told reporters Thursday in Kyiv. The sanctions shouldn’t affect those who don’t support Putin, he said. “There is always a mechanism for seeking political asylum.” Estonia’s government said it will block entry to some 50,000 Russians who had been granted visas before the invasion began on Feb. 24. That’s on top of restrictions -- also introduced in the Baltic states and the Czech Republic-- on issuing new visas for travel, work or study. Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, joined by Finnish counterpart Sanna Marin, this week called on member states to halt tourist visas. Kallas’s foreign minister said in an interview last week that a broad ban should be imposed. <br/>