Kremlin: Kiev calls to ban Russians 'off the charts'

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The Kremlin said, on Tuesday, that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's proposal to ban all Russians from visiting Western countries was "out of the charts" and viewed "extremely negatively" by Moscow.

The Kremlin's remarks came after Zelenzky told The Washington Post that current Western sanctions against Moscow are too weak, and the West should close its borders to Russians.

Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that "the irrationality of thinking, in this case, is off the charts".

"This can only be viewed extremely negatively."

"Any attempt to isolate Russians or Russia is a process that has no prospects," Peskov added.

Zelensky told the Post that “irrespective of their political stance, Russians should live in their own world until they change their philosophy."

His remarks stand in stark contrast to the first days of Moscow's military intervention in Ukraine when Zelensky reached out to Russia-based Kremlin critics, in Russian.

Last week, Russia's neighbor Finland announced a plan to limit tourist visas for Russians but also emphasized the importance of an EU-level decision on the issue.

Earlier today, Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas called on all members of the Schengen zone on Tuesday to stop issuing visas for Russians, saying it was "time to end Russian tourism."

"Stop issuing tourist visas to Russians. Visiting Europe is a privilege, not a human right," she tweeted.

On its account, the French Defense Ministry also announced that Russian nationals are not permitted to visit the Chateau de Vincennes in Paris, a major tourist attraction.

However, the French Ministry said, on Tuesday, as quoted by AFP that the castle guards had "indiscriminately applied a rule established in February concerning all military installations."

"This rule cannot be applied in the same way for strategic sites and for sites accessible to the public, such as museums," a spokesperson said.

The Ministry claimed that security staff would now be informed of the distinction "to avoid any further incidents of this kind".

Peskov also recalled events in the run-up to and during World War II.

"In their unfriendliness, many of these countries slip into forgetfulness," he said.

"And they resort to statements that we heard from several European countries in the center of Europe 80 years ago," he added.