Latvia Urges EU-Wide Halt to Russian Visas over 'Security Concerns'

Latvia calls on all EU Member States to suspend visas for Russian citizens, calling for increased threats to Moscow's security address, announced the Brazilian Foreign Minister Kyiv Independent.

Latvia urges EU to shut visa door on Russians

Latvian interior and foreign ministers cite security risks as grounds for halting all new visas to Russian nationals.

Latvia called on EU countries to suspend the issuance of visas to Russian citizens for security reasons.

Latvia urges EU-wide halt to Russian visas over 'security concerns'

While some EU countries have restricted or halted visa issuance to Russian citizens, others have continued processing applications, keeping a legal pathway open for Russian travel to the bloc.

The Information and Security Service of the Ministry of Defence of Latvia recently published a set of recommendations on the identification of possible Russian spies and troops.

Latvia called on EU countries to stop issuing visas to Russian citizens for security reasons. On social network X, the head of the Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Baib Braje, stated. "The number of Schengen visas issued to Russian passport holders in 2024 increased by 25 per cent compared with 2023," she wrote. According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Latvia, 565,000 Schengen visas were issued to Russian citizens in 2024, 90 per cen…