Russia mulls introduction of visa regime with Ukraine

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - Russia is considering the possibility of introducing a visa regime for the citizens of Ukraine, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko said on Friday.

"We are discussing this issue with various departments. It is necessary to take into account the whole set of factors, including humanitarian ones.

"We do not want to complicate the lives of those Ukrainian citizens who want to leave the country or the war zone and go to Russia. For them, obtaining visas would be a very difficult process, especially in the current situation, when we do not even have an embassy in Kyiv," Rudenko said at a press briefing in Moscow.

The diplomat noted that sometimes a visa regime is asymmetric, citing Russian-Georgian relations as an example.

"We have a visa regime with Georgia, and Georgia does not apply a visa regime to Russians. ... Therefore, this happens in (diplomatic) practice, and it does not necessarily have to be mirrored," he said.

On July 1, Ukraine introduced a visa regime for Russian citizens over the Moscow-Kyiv war that started on Feb. 24.

Asked if there are any plans to hold a meeting between the Russian and Ukrainian presidents on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Indonesia in November, Rudenko said "no."

About the grain deal, Rudenko said "it is not being implemented exactly as planned," and that prospects of its prolongation depend on "how will all the components be implemented."

"The second part of the deal, concerning the export of Russian grain and fertilizers, is still experiencing difficulties," he noted.

Türkiye, the UN, Russia, and Ukraine signed an agreement on July 22 in Istanbul to resume grain exports from three Ukrainian Black Sea ports, which were paused after the Russia-Ukraine war began in February. A Joint Coordination Center with officials from the three countries and the UN has been set up in Istanbul to oversee the shipments.