Overview
- The European Commission announced new restrictions on issuing multiple-entry Schengen visas to Russian citizens on November 7.
- Brussels said the decision was agreed collectively by all Schengen member states.
- EU foreign-policy chief Kaja Kallas framed EU travel as a privilege rather than a given.
- Russian State Duma foreign-affairs chair Leonid Slutsky condemned the move, argued Europe had punished itself, and warned that affordable energy in Europe would become a privilege.
- The measure builds on the EU’s 2022 suspension of the simplified visa regime, after which Russian tourist travel to Europe fell sharply, a trend Slutsky cited even as he claimed EU countries still profited from Russian visitors.