Ukraine’s Minister of Foreign Affairs: Kyiv is ready for a visa regime with Russia
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Pavlo Klimkin, stated that the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs is ready to implement a visa regime with the Russian Federation if Ukraine’s administration adopts such a measure.
“I believe that even the introduction of a visa regime to control those who arrive from Russia is not enough for us. We have to introduce biometric passports for this, but then also control those who come,” said Klimkin.
According to the Minister, almost three million Ukrainians are currently living in the territory of the Russian Federation.
”And at the same time we must consider: What will be the status of our citizens who are in the territory of the temporarily occupied Crimea? What limitations will Russia place on them?” Klimkin said.
He added that he was not against the introduction of a visa regime with Russia, but he needed a clear approach and vision of what would happen next.
“So my answer is definitely yes, but this is a question that we must take time to resolve, having in mind a clear approach and understanding of how Russia will try to take advantage of it, and our citizens are drawn into compulsory Russian citizenship. This should definitely be prevented,” the minister stressed.
“As for the procedures, the Foreign Ministry will do everything as it should. We are getting ready, we have the appropriate experience, so do not worry about the Foreign Ministry in this regard,” he added.
In March 2014, the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine made the decision to introduce a visa regime with Russia. But the Ukrainian government did give approval for this decision. Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk said that many Ukrainians are interested in preserving the visa-free regime, primarily those in the east and south of Ukraine, who go to Russia for work and have relatives on the other side of the border. As a result, it was decided to strengthen the border control between Ukraine and the Russian Federation.
In February 2016, the First Deputy Chairman of the Supreme Council of Ukraine, Andriy Parubiy, along with other deputies, submitted a resolution to end the visa-free regime agreement between Ukraine and Russia.
In May 2017, it was reported that the Ukrainian Parliament had taken a vote to assess the possibility of introducing a visa regime with Russia.
On June 1st, 2017, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Oleksandr Turchynov said that the issue of a visa regime with the Russian Federation “is not just ripe, but overripe.”