Polish Parliament Adopts Resolution Calling On EU To Stop Issuing Visas To Russians

The Sejm, the lower chamber of the Polish parliament, voted on Thursday for a resolution condemning referendums on joining Russia in Donbas and demanding that the European Union stop issuing visas to Russian citizens

WARSAW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 29th September, 2022) The Sejm, the lower chamber of the Polish parliament, voted on Thursday for a resolution condemning referendums on joining Russia in Donbas and demanding that the European Union stop issuing visas to Russian citizens.

A total of 434 members of the Sejm voted for the resolution condemning "illegal referendums conducted by Russian authorities on the occupied territories of Ukraine," with two members abstaining.

The document said that the parliament supports "measures taken by the Polish government in the international arena that are aimed at the termination of issuance of visas to citizens of Russia."

Earlier in September, Poland along with the Baltic states restricted the entry of Russians to their territories, including those with Schengen visas, except for humanitarian cases.

On September 23-27, the people's republics of Donetsk and Luhansk, as well as Russia-controlled parts of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson, held referendums on whether the regions should join Russia.

The majority of voters supported this decision. Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to sign the decrees on recognizing the regions as part of Russia on Friday.

Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine on February 24 in response to calls for help from Donetsk and Luhansk people's republics as Kiev intensified its attacks on the breakaway regions in breach of the Minsk agreements. In retaliation, the West has launched a massive sanctions campaign against Moscow, causing a global food and energy crisis. In addition, the EU decided to limit the movement of Russian citizens, terminating an agreement on the simplified visa regime with Russia.

However, the European Commission said EU member countries cannot completely stop issuing Schengen visas to Russians but can decide for themselves whether to issue short-term visas and consider each application on an individual basis, with a number of EU countries, including France and Germany, being against a complete visa ban.