Bloc debates barring Russian tourists over invasion

BRUSSELS — A proposal that the European Union ban visas for all Russian tourists because of the Ukraine invasion has set off a debate in the Continent’s capitals about morality, legality, collective guilt and the use of power.

Already, some nations, like Estonia, are implementing their own bans, canceling some visas and refusing to allow Russian tourists to enter. Other countries, like Germany, argue a blanket ban will hurt Russians opposed to President Vladimir Putin and his war.

The Czech government, which holds the current EU presidency, will raise the proposal with foreign ministers at the end of this month.

Beyond the legal and moral issues raised by the proposed ban, suggested this month by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine, lies a more practical question: Would it have the intended effect, as its proponents say, of driving home to the Russian people the costs of the war? Or would it, as critics say, produce the opposite result by antagonizing and alienating Russians?

Benjamin Tallis, a Berlinbased analyst, argued that bans would not just stop Russians from taking European vacations while their troops kill Ukrainians but would also provide a chance for Europeans to use their power for moral and strategic ends.

“A ban is a really strong show of resolve,” he said. “The European Union is very conscious of its openness and transformative power, and shutting that down is a powerful sign.”

It would tell Russians, “travel to Europe is a privilege, and you value it, and we’re going to take it away,” he said.

Lithuania’s foreign minister, Gabrielius Landsbergis, has argued that if the Russians who oppose the war were compelled to stay home, they could help bring about change. Yet polls indicate the war is popular among most Russians.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz of Germany criticized the proposal last week, saying, “This is Putin’s war,” and “not the Russian people’s.” In Russia, too, there has been considerable reaction, with many dissidents opposing a blanket ban.

Ukraine’s foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, put the country’s position in blunt terms. Russians, he said, “must be deprived of the right to cross international borders until they learn to respect them.”