Italy and France took with suspicion the European Commission’s proposal to ban former Russian military personnel from entering the European Union. Bloomberg writes about this, citing sources.
According to the agency’s interlocutors, Italy and France are not against the idea of not allowing former Russian military personnel to enter the European Union, but they fear that the European Commission’s proposal in its current form will lead to a “broad ban” on Russian entry.
Both countries believe that restrictions are best imposed through visa policies rather than through sanctions. What exactly is meant, the sources did not clarify.
Italy and France also pointed out that the European Commission’s proposal leaves it up to EU member states to decide who participated in the war in Ukraine and who did not, which will not be easy to do.
On June 9, the European Union introduced the 21st package of sanctions against Russia. At the same time, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen proposed including a ban on entry into EU countries for all Russians who participated in the war or served in the army after February 24, 2022. It is not known exactly how these restrictions will work if approved.