It’s no longer about Viktor Orbán: Three countries oppose new sanctions on Russia

Italy, France and Bulgaria oppose parts of the EU’s new sanctions package against Russia. The EU countries must decide on the sanctions unanimously so that the package could enter into force according to the original schedule next Wednesday.

Italy and France oppose the planned ban on visas to EU countries for Russian soldiers who fought in Ukraine.

“Europe remains closed to all those who have participated in the war of aggression in Ukraine”, the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen line in June when announcing the new package.

This year, the number of visas granted to Russian soldiers has increased specifically in France and Italy, as well as in Spain and Greece. Italian According to Il Foglio magazine The background of Italy’s opposition is precisely the fear of a decline in the flow of Russian tourists.

Ireland proposes a compromise

In their letter to the Commission, Sweden, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands and Poland emphasize that moral and security-related reasons defend a much more restrictive approach to visas for Russian citizens than the current one. The countries that signed the letter would not like to limit the visa ban only to soldiers or ex-soldiers.

“It is very worrying to see a growing number of Russian tourists enjoying holidays on European beaches and resorts, while missiles and drones continue to destroy the civilian population and civilian infrastructure in Ukraine. This is not only problematic, but also poses a security risk to the entire Schengen area,” the letter quoted by Il Foglio said.

The countries that signed the letter also accuse the countries receiving Russian tourists of a lack of solidarity.

As a solution, Ireland, the country holding the EU presidency, proposes a ban on short-term visas only. EU officials have defended the visa ban by comparing Russian soldiers to former ISIS fighters and Balkan war criminals.

Can the leader of the denomination be on the banned list?

In addition to this, Italy and Bulgaria oppose the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, the patriarch Cyrillic line sanctions. The patriarch is known as the president Vladimir Putin as a close ally.

According to the Italian Prime Minister’s office, the country opposes sanctions targeting the leader of a Christian denomination. Bulgaria’s opposition is based on the fact that more than 60 percent of Bulgarians are Orthodox. In addition, the Prime Minister of Bulgaria Rumen Radev has warned against dragging the church into the war.

“What kind of message are we sending when we expand sanctions and war into the realm of religion? Do we understand where this leads. The era of the Crusades is over. I am not interested in the Russian Patriarch as an individual. I am interested in the fact that he is the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, which is Eastern Orthodox, just like our church. I am concerned about the millions of people who belong to this church,” he has commented, among other things According to EuroNews.

Formerly the ex-prime minister of Hungary Viktor Orbán managed to water down the sanctions against Patriarch Kirill with his veto.

If the EU’s new sanctions package is not approved by mid-July, the price ceiling for Russian crude oil is at risk due to the expiry of the time limits.