The European Union is discussing a narrower version of its proposal to ban the issuing of visas to Russian soldiers and military veterans after pushback from France and Italy, limiting the measure to short-stay visas and to those who directly took part in the fighting in Ukraine.
The ban will form part of the EU's 21st package of sanctions against Russia over its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
EU ambassadors are due to discuss the package on Wednesday, with the aim of adopting it by mid-July to avoid an automatic revision of the Russian oil price cap.
In recent weeks, France and Italy have objected to the full combatant ban, arguing that it should fall under visa policy rather than sanctions and warning it could create practical problems for countries that process large numbers of Russian visa applications.
To address these concerns, Ireland, which holds the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU, has proposed limiting the policy to short-stay visas.
