Zelenskyy Pleads with the West for a Total Ban on Russian Tourists

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Monday called on the West to ban all Russian tourists from entering the country to force allied leaders to put more pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin.In an interview with the Washington Post, Zelenskyy said the current sanctions on Russia are “weak” compared to the message sent by the travel ban and a blanket embargo on Russian energy.

“The most important sanctions are to close the borders — because the Russians are taking away someone else’s land,” he said, adding that Russians should “live in their own world until they change their philosophy.”The Ukrainian leader’s remarks come as Russia approaches six months into a full-scale brutal invasion of Ukraine that has left thousands dead and devastated the eastern and southern regions of the country. Russia has threatened to hold a vote to annex Ukraine, which could strengthen Moscow’s grip on the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions. Zelenskyy was clear that all Russians should take some responsibility for Putin’s deadly war. “They’ll say, ‘This [war] has nothing to do with us. The whole population can’t be held responsible, can it?’ It can. The population picked this government and they’re not fighting it, not arguing with it, not shouting at it,” he said.

While the EU does not currently ban Russian tourists from entering the country, Finland’s Prime Minister Sanna Marin said on Monday that the EU should consider doing so.

She said: “It’s not right that at the same time as Russia is waging an aggressive, brutal war of aggression in Europe, Russians can live a normal life, travel in Europe, be tourists. It’s not right,” she told Finland’s national public broadcaster Yle.