Leaders of the EU countries are considering the possibility of restricting the movement of Russian diplomats on the territory of the association. This was reported by Politico with reference to a source.
According to Politico, the EU idea is to limit the travel of diplomats from Russia to the country in which they are accredited. At the moment they can move freely throughout the Schengen zone, the publication notes.
The restrictions are proposed as part of the 13th package of sanctions, which is being prepared for the second anniversary of the start of Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine.
Politico’s source recognised the difficulty of implementing this restriction. There are no borders and checkpoints between EU countries, and most travel within the Schengen zone is not controlled.
The publication points out that this initiative has long been promoted by the Czech Republic and the country’s Foreign Ministry proposed to introduce biometric passports for diplomats.
Earlier, the head of the Belarusian Defence Ministry, Viktor Khrenin, said that many European countries, which had previously positioned themselves as “lights of democracy,” were overwhelmed by “cave Russophobia.