Finland criticized the proposal to restrict visas for Russians

Armando Mema, a member of the Finnish national conservative Freedom Alliance party, said on June 15 that Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen had no right to talk about tightening the visa policy for Russian citizens.

"Collective punishment of Russian citizens is a very dangerous maneuver that Elina wants to carry out. The government of Elina and [Finnish Prime Minister Petteri] Orpo has no moral right to demand sanctions and collective punishment for Russian citizens...> Do these people realize the harm they are doing to Finland with their policies," reads a message on the social network X (ex. Twitter).

Mema also noted that, in his opinion, the Finnish authorities are trying to emphasize their own "moral superiority" in this way, while continuing cooperation in the field of military contracts with Israel and Ukraine. The politician stressed that the norms of international law should be respected by all parties, and not used selectively in the interests of Valtonen and her supporters.

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On the same day, Valtonen announced that Finland and Sweden had taken the initiative to tighten the rules for issuing Schengen visas to Russian citizens. According to her, the relevant proposals have already been sent to the European Commission for consideration. Valtonen stressed that the restrictive measures should primarily affect tourist trips during the upcoming vacation period.