Russians can't sip margaritas in the EU while Putin bombs Ukraine, says EPP MEP

Updated: 16/10/2026 - 9:28 GMT+2

EPP MEP Dirk Gotink believes the European Union should stop issuing the “full range of visas” to Russian citizens while Russia continues its attacks on Ukraine.

Gotink said the EU should “go further” in signalling to Russian elites that the country’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine is “also their problem”. He argued that they should not be allowed to continue “their lives on European islands drinking margaritas while their political leader is bombing everyday civilians in Ukraine”.