Lithuanian Foreign Minister Proposes Asking Russians At The Border One Question

At the same time, Lithuania will continue issuing humanitarian visas to Belarusians.

If the European Union does not agree not to issue tourist visas to Russians, Lithuanian officials will propose at the regional level to ban Russian tourists from entering their territory.

Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis stated this, according to the LRT news publisher.

“First of all, we strive for a European solution, because it is the most sustainable and legally correct... If there will be no common decision, we do not rule out the possibility of finding a regional solution that would include the Baltic countries, Poland and possibly Finland,” he told reporters on Tuesday, August 23.

According to him, given that the Lithuanian Seimas has recognized Russia as a state that commits genocide and supports terrorism, citizens of this country traveling to the EU for tourism purposes should not cross EU borders.

Landsbergis stressed that humanitarian visas would be issued to persons and their family members who are persecuted by the Russian or Belarusian regime.

According to him, in any case, the border guard of the EU country should ask a Russian citizen for what purpose one is travelling, and may also ask about his attitude to the Kremlin's actions in relation to Ukraine.

“The border guard has the right to ask if you support the war in Ukraine and who owns Crimea. The only response from a person crossing the border of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Finland, and Poland, that Crimea is not occupied, is enough to assume that the admission of this person does not meet the interests of national security,” the Lithuanian Foreign Minister said.

Landsbergis noted that after the termination of air communication with the capitals of European states, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Finland and Poland are the main route for Russians and Belarusians to Europe.