Luxembourg for now will continue to issue Russian tourists visa permits.  Photo: Shutterstock

Luxembourg for now will continue to issue Russian tourists visa permits.  Photo: Shutterstock

The grand duchy has confirmed that it won’t answer Finland and Estonia’s call to cut off Russian tourists from visiting.

“Luxembourg analyses every visa application carefully and of course applies all the visa sanctions that apply in the European Union,” a spokesperson for the foreign affairs ministry told Delano on 10 August. “At this point in time, these measures do not foresee to stop distributing visas to Russian tourists.”

Estonian and Finnish prime ministers Kaja Kallas and Sanna Marin on 8 and 9 August respectively had expressed their thoughts on Russians being allowed to travel within the European Union despite the current war in Ukraine. Marin had said that “it is not right that while Russia is waging an aggressive, brutal war of aggression in Europe, Russians can live a normal life, travel in Europe, be tourists.”

Kallas had stated that “visiting Europe is a privilege, not a human right,” and that Russian tourism should end.

Although the EU declared a no-fly zone for Russian aircraft throughout the EU shortly after the initial Russian attack on Ukraine, that Russian tourists would travel to bordering countries like Finland or Estonia by land and board flights from within the EU.

Though some countries like Latvia have already restricted tourism from Russia, several member states have called for a collective discussion about a potential travel ban. 

More than 1,200 individuals across Europe and 108 entities so far are subject to asset freezes and travel restrictions. , targeting banks and energy imports. On 21 July, the Council of the EU adopted another round of measures, such as a ban to purchase, import or transfer Russian-origin gold.