Deputy Interior Minister Maciej Duszczyk said Poland had co-signed a letter to the European Commission, initiated by Sweden, calling for a halt to the issuance of Schengen visas to Russian nationals.
"It cannot be the case that on one hand we impose sanctions, and on the other we issue hundreds of thousands of tourist visas to Russians who then vacation on European beaches", Duszczyk said.
EU data show that 623,000 Schengen visas were granted to Russian citizens in 2025 — a 10 percent increase over the previous year — including nearly 480,000 tourist visas. France, Italy and Spain issued the most; Poland, Denmark, Romania and Sweden the fewest. The letter also calls on the Commission to bar Russian war veterans from the Schengen zone, an initiative Estonia first raised in March. Duszczyk said Poland shares that concern.
"We fear that when the war ends, many people who simply have blood on their hands will want to come to the EU", he said.
On Ukrainian refugees, Duszczyk said Poland supports a Commission proposal to exclude from temporary protection those who left Ukraine illegally and those of conscription age. The EU's temporary protection mechanism, activated after Russia's 2022 invasion, grants Ukrainians the right to reside, work and study across the bloc. Current rules run through March 2027, with the Commission already weighing a further one-year extension.
Poland separately passed legislation earlier this year allowing authorities to phase out previously granted benefits for Ukrainian war refugees. Under rules in force since March, Ukrainians must apply for a Polish identification number within 30 days of entry or risk losing protected status.
As of the latest figures, 4.33 million Ukrainians hold temporary protection across the EU — 28.7 percent in Germany, 22.3 percent in Poland and 9 percent in the Czech Republic.
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Source: PAP