The EU on Tuesday proposed an entry ban for Russian soldiers. The plan would bar all those who have served in the Russian military, including non-Russian citizens, since the invasion of Ukraine in 2022 from receiving visas for the Schengen Area.

The EU had already implemented sanctions against Russia after the annexation of Crimea in 2014, including economic sanctions, individual sanctions, diplomatic measures, and visa measures. Sanctions have escalated since the full scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, following Russian President Vladimir Putin’s announcement of a “special military operation” to “demilitarise and denazify” Ukraine.

The proposals are part of the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s plans for the EU’s 21st package of sanctions against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine and will require approval from the governments of member states, as decisions regarding the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) generally require unanimous agreement from all member state governments in the Council. These proposals come after a coalition of 11 European countries called for harsher visa restrictions on Russian tourists at an EU ministerial meeting in Luxembourg last week.

Alongside the proposed Russian sanctions, the EU will also disburse the first payment of a €90 billion loan to Ukraine by the end of June, and will formally open negotiations for the accession of Ukraine and Moldova to the bloc this week.