The European Union has "broad support" among member states to restrict the issuance of tourist visas to Russian citizens, in a measure aimed at limiting the entry of Russian citizens into the EU bloc.
This issue gained greater urgency after reports indicated that one of the suspects involved in the drone incident at Leipzig airport had entered the European Union with a tourist visa issued by Italy. Germany attributes responsibility for that drone incident to Russia.
Estonia's Prime Minister, Kaja Kallas, commented on the situation and stated that, if the information about the Italian tourist visa is confirmed, this demonstrates the urgent need to tighten entry restrictions for Russian citizens in the EU.
The Leipzig incident comes in a context of growing tensions between the European Union and Russia, which has reinforced the debate on the criteria for granting tourist visas to Russian citizens, particularly after security concerns raised by the intelligence services of several European countries.
