EU blow against Russians? German Chancellor on visa restrictions

German Chancellor: There is room to introduce restrictions for Russians

Chancellor Merz noted that Russians still receive many visas allowing entry to the EU. However, he did not announce specific dates for introducing possible visa restrictions.

There is certainly room to limit both tourist traffic and business trips to the European Union, he said.

The head of the German government also referred to the war in Ukraine, assessing that Russia is currently not ready to end it. On the contrary, as he noted, Moscow is escalating its actions, attacking Ukrainian energy infrastructure and transmission networks to make it more difficult for the country to survive the winter. He assured that Germany will remain on Ukraine's side and that the purpose of the support is not to prolong the war, but to persuade Russia to enter into negotiations.

“We know this money is not enough.”

EU leaders also discussed further financial aid for Kiev at the EU summit in Brussels. Merz said that the current EUR 90 billion for 2026-2027 is an insufficient amount, and Ukraine's additional needs are to be determined in the coming weeks.

Last year, we made available EUR 90 billion for two years: 2026 and 2027. We know that this money is not enough, that Ukraine will not have enough of these funds. How we will determine the financial needs and what additional needs will be will become clear in the coming weeks, he noted.