Lithuania calls for an escalating trade war against Russia

Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda has called for further sanctions over the escalation of the trade war against Russia. In a statement following a meeting with Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Bettel in Vilnius, he said:

"Europe has already taken many important decisions to curb Russian aggression in Ukraine. But they are not enough and we must continue. The war must become an unbearable burden for the aggressor."

He added that limiting EU tourist visas for Russian citizens would be an effective and fair measure in the current context.

Last week, the EU decided to escalate the trade war by completely suspending an agreement with Russia to facilitate the issuing of visas. The move is another sanction in response to Russia's special operation in Ukraine. It is considered a minimal compromise in the EU dispute that has been going on for weeks about how visa applications from Russian nationals should be handled. However, this is not a formal ban on tourist visas, as is being demanded by some EU countries bordering Russia. Like Estonia and Latvia, Lithuania has already largely suspended the issuing of visas and residence permits to Russians.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has repeatedly commented on the idea of ​​banning visas for Russian citizens. She said that this action, as well as the demolition of monuments to Soviet liberators under far-fetched pretexts, would only once again underscore the anti-Russian policy of the Baltic states.