EU to tighten travel rules for Russians but fails to find consensus on visa ban

Sweden’s foreign minister Ann Linde, centre, speaks with European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, second left, at talks in the Czech Republic (Petr David Josek/AP)

European Union countries have agreed to make it harder for Russian citizens to enter the 27-nation bloc, but they failed to find a consensus on imposing an outright tourist ban in response to Russia’s war on Ukraine.

At talks in the Czech Republic, EU foreign ministers were desperate to put on a show of unity and punish President Vladimir Putin for launching the war over six months ago. But they could not bridge differences over whether Russian citizens, some of them possibly opposed to the invasion, should also pay a price.