The Federation Council ruled out visa-free travel with the United States and the EU in the near future

The establishment of a visa-free regime between Russia and the United States or the EU countries is impossible in the foreseeable future. This was announced on October 23 by Konstantin Kosachev, Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council.

"It is excluded. From my point of view, there will be no visa-free regime for us with the United States of America, the European Union, or any of our other opponents and detractors," he said in an interview with TASS.

The senator noted that one of the main reasons for the lack of prospects for visa cancellation is the "Western information bubble." According to Kosachev, in unfriendly states, people are now talking about Russia either badly or nothing, and local residents have almost no opportunity to receive information from the Russians themselves.

The mass arrival of Russian citizens in these countries would allow foreigners to learn about the situation in Russia first-hand. Kosachev stressed that this is contrary to the interests of those who were engaged in discrediting the country in previous years and are continuing this campaign now.

The Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council added that Russians who love their country are able to explain Russian interests, goals and concerns to foreign citizens. According to the politician, this is exactly what the West is trying to prevent by limiting contacts between people.

Indefinite challenge: Russia initiates negotiations on permanent visa-free travel with China

Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping may discuss this issue during the APEC summit in November.

Politico reported on October 11 that the European Commission plans to submit proposals in January 2027 to tighten the rules for issuing visas to Russian citizens. The initiative is explained by the concerns of European countries about "security threats."