“Russia's actions will not go unanswered” is the key sentence. Leaders are expected to call for urgent consideration of additional restrictions and tightening of visa requirements and policy for Russian citizens. “(…) additional measures will be urgently considered, including further restrictive measures, as well as a review and tightening of visa requirements and visa policy for Russian citizens,” the document states.
This is an issue that Poland and a group of other EU countries tried to speed up already in June. As the RMF FM correspondent in Brussels revealed then, Poland and ten other countries such as Sweden, the Netherlands, the Baltic states and the Czech Republic demanded that the European Commission urgently change visa regulations.
They pointed out that despite Russian aggression against Ukraine, Russian citizens still receive hundreds of thousands of tourist visas to the Schengen area.
In 2025, Russians received 477,878 Schengen visas for tourist trips. Many of them allowed for multiple entries. The authors of the letter then emphasized that it was difficult to accept a situation in which Russian tourists relax on European beaches, while Russian missiles and drones hit Ukrainian civilians and infrastructure, and Ukrainian children are forcibly deported.
The countries signing the letter pointed out that Russians can bypass the restrictive rules in force in some Central and Eastern European countries by obtaining visas in other EU countries. The countries issuing the most tourist visas to Russians include France, Italy, Spain and Greece.
The signatories demanded restrictions on tourist visas and multiple entries, and the creation of a mechanism to quickly respond to threats from countries pursuing aggressive policies. Poland is also seeking common EU rules on Russian biometric passports. The idea is to prevent Russians from entering the EU without passports equipped with an electronic chip. A proposal to coordinate such requirements was already discussed in the EU visa working group in March.
Berlin changed its tune after the attempted attack in Leipzig
The tightening of visa policy towards Russians will be facilitated by a change in Germany's position. Back in February 2025, Berlin was against limiting, for example, the freedom of movement of Russian diplomats in the Schengen area, fearing Russian retaliatory actions. After the thwarted hybrid attack attempt on Leipzig/Halle airport, Berlin's position has changed radically. The German government began to demand tighter entry controls for Russian citizens and a more restrictive approach to issuing visas to them. German authorities now point to the risks associated with Russian hybrid activities and the possibility of using visas to enter people posing a security risk.
Russian diplomats under greater control
Another issue is the travel of Russian diplomats around the European Union. EU foreign ministers are due to discuss further restrictions on Monday. A ban on travel outside the country where the diplomat is accredited, or an obligation to obtain permission to travel to other countries, is being considered. The reason is concerns about intelligence activities conducted under diplomatic cover. For now, however, a decision should not be expected during this meeting, as diplomats explain - it is rather about sounding out the support of member states for these restrictions.
Russian combatants
Since January, Estonia has been seeking an entry ban to the European Union for Russian citizens who participated in armed aggression against Ukraine. Poland has also supported the ban from the beginning. This is about a potential security threat from former soldiers, including people with combat experience. It was not possible to introduce this ban in the last sanctions package because several countries, including France, raised legal and practical issues, e.g. regarding the principle of identifying such people.
