European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell says he expects a further tightening of measures to punish Moscow for its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine but he is not in favor of completely banning visas for Russians.
The matter of limiting visas to Russians has gained steam following Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine that started in February.
However, the 27-member bloc has so far failed to reach the necessary unanimity on the issue, with some countries -- notably Germany -- reluctant to severely restrict all Russians' access to the EU.
“There has already been a partial suspension [of the visa regime]. And I think there's going to be another step further," Borrell told RFE/RL in an interview ahead of an informal gathering of EU defense and foreign ministers in Prague on August 30-31.
WATCH: EU Foreign Policy Chief Urges Bloc Not To 'Close The Door' To All Russians
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EU Foreign Policy Chief Urges Bloc Not To 'Close The Door' On All Russians
"But I cannot tell you if it will be a complete [ban].... I would not be in favor of saying no Russians, never, for any reason could go to Europe.... But it's up to the EU ministers to decide," the bloc's top diplomat added.
Countries that share borders with Russia -- the Baltic states, Poland, and Finland -- have led the drive for more restrictive bans on visas for Russian tourists. With air service barred by the EU on flights from Russia, most travelers are using their land borders to travel on to other EU countries.
A 2007 visa agreement to ease EU entry requirements for Russians was partially suspended in late February, targeting people close to Russian President Vladimir Putin, such as Russia's official delegations and holders of diplomatic passports.
But it left so-called ordinary Russians to continue to enjoy EU visa-facilitation benefits, such as reduced waiting times and costs and the need to present fewer documents when applying.
SEE ALSO: EU Countries Ponder Visa Ban For Russians Over Ukraine WarUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy this month called on the EU to cease issuing all visas for Russia citizens to punish Moscow for its attack on his country.
Borrell speculated that a compromise among EU nations could be reached by tightening the visa-facilitation regime.
"I think it is going to be about modifying the visa-facilitation process. Not just abolishing another part of it, but modifying the structure of the visa facilitation and then taking some specific measures for specific people."
"I think that we have to be more selective.... Not all Russians [should be] banned.
"A lot of people want to leave Russia. More than 300,000 have left since the beginning of the war. And most of them are professional, highly educated people who don't want to stay in Russia anymore," he said.
"They don't want to go to the war. They don't support the war. They don't want to continue living under Putin’s regime and they leave. So, I don't think we have to close the door to these people."