The Washington Post has published a full transcript of an interview with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in which he called for Russians to be banned from entering Europe. Previously, only some quotes were published, but now WP quotes Zelensky's speech in full:
“Western countries may impose a ban on the entry of all citizens of the Russian Federation into the EU countries. Good sanctions. I think they are very nice and peaceful. There is nothing in these sanctions that would take away the right to life. I said from the very beginning that I consider the most important sanctions to be the closure of borders, because they [the Russians] are taking away foreign territory. Well, let them live in their own world until they change their philosophy. So, countries close their borders and impose an embargo on energy resources. Personally, my opinion is that all other options are weaker. There is no complete embargo on energy supplies, the borders are not closed.
Whatever the citizens of the Russian Federation – there are those who support the war, there are those who do not – their children study abroad, in schools, universities and so on. Let them go to Russia. There is nothing wrong with that, let them go there. Not forever, please let them come back. They'll just understand then. They say, “Oh, we have nothing to do with it, and all people cannot be held responsible.” They can. They have chosen these people and now they are not fought, they are not arguing with them and they are not shouting at them. Russians who publicly oppose the war are isolated cases, and these people are in prison. But let the Russians go home, let everyone go to Russia. You want this isolation, don't you? You tell the whole world that the whole world will live by your rules. Good.
What will it give us? This is the only way to influence Putin. Because this person has no other fear than fear for his life. And his life depends on whether his population threatens him or not. Nothing threatens him anymore. Therefore, when its population will put pressure on its decisions, then there will be results. And the war will end. These are very understandable sanctions, they are very simple. It's not about money, not about gas or pipes, and not about the fact that the Germans will not have heat in winter. Just close the borders for a year and you will see the result.”
After the WP released a preliminary text with quotes from Zelensky, Estonia decided to close the borders to Russians, promising that it would make "some exceptions." At the same time, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that he could hardly imagine such a ban, since the Russian authorities, not ordinary citizens, are responsible for the war in Ukraine.
Zelensky himself later clarified his words: he stated that “there are people who really need protection, who are persecuted in Russia and can even be killed.” In his opinion, they can apply for help: “These are well-known legal mechanisms – through refugee, through asylum applications, through other opportunities to help and support.”
Earlier, the European Commission issued a statement that a complete ban on the issuance of tourist visas to Russians is impossible due to visa rules, since it should always be possible to grant visas to certain groups – family members of EU citizens, journalists and dissidents.