EU countries angry over Russia's entry ban

Russia's entry ban on 89 EU citizens has angered EU member states, demanding a satisfactory explanation from Moscow.

This move by Russia also makes the already tense relationship with the EU related to the Ukraine crisis even more serious.

Russian President Putin (Photo: AFP)

The list banned from entering Russia includes 89 politicians and military and intelligence leaders from EU countries including Germany, Britain, Belgium, Poland, France, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Denmark, Finland, Czech Republic, Romania, Bulgaria and Spain.

According to many sources, this list includes some high-profile figures such as former British Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, former British Defense Secretary Malcolm Rifkind, former Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt, and even some current officials such as Polish Deputy Justice Minister Robert Kupiecki.

Former Bulgarian Ambassador to Russia Ilian Vassilev expressed no surprise that his name was on this list.

“I expected this to happen, but I was surprised because I am quite small compared to the other names on the list who have held or are holding the positions of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister. The most worrying thing is that this list shows a new level of confrontation between the two sides,” Mr. Vassilev said.

Ms. Anna Maria Corraza Bildt, a member of the European Parliament (EP) and wife of former Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bildt, is also on the blacklist.

Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom on May 30 asked Russia to explain the entry ban on these people, including eight Swedish citizens.

“Russia has the right to put forward such a list, but there needs to be a reasonable explanation as to why it is banning these people. As we understand it, this is a response to a similar ban from the EU. But the EU ban is completely transparent and, above all, it explains why each name is on the list. Russia’s actions do not contribute to increasing trust in them,” Ms. Wallstrom said.

Since Crimea was annexed by Russia in March last year, the EU has imposed a series of economic sanctions, visa bans and asset freezes on many Russian and Ukrainian citizens and organizations. The reason is that the West accused Russia of supplying weapons and sending troops to support opposition forces in Eastern Ukraine, but Moscow has always denied this accusation.

A spokesman for the EU diplomatic agency in Brussels, Belgium, said that Russia's response was not new because Moscow had in fact entered the country a number of politicians from the union in recent months, but so far has refused to publish the list.

Defending the reason for keeping the list secret, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexei Meshkov once said that Moscow wanted to protect the personal information of those on the entry ban list, while also affirming that “those on the list were not banned by chance” and the list “does not include leaders or high-ranking officials”.

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said the Dutch government still opposes Russia's move and believes that the sanctions list issued by Russia "is not based on international law, is not transparent and is not recognized" in a court of law.

Meanwhile, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier criticized Russia for this action, saying that Moscow should not announce the entry ban list at the present time when all sides are trying to reduce conflicts in Central Europe./.

According to VOV.VN