The Kremlin has warned the European Union that there will be consequences in the event of a far-reaching ban on Russian citizens entering the bloc.

Russia would not let such a decision go unanswered and would protect the interests of its citizens, spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said in Moscow on Tuesday.

“This is a very serious decision that could be directed against our citizens,” he said.

EU states, however, were pursuing different positions, Mr Peskov noted, describing what he called “anti-Russian impulses” in some capitals that demonstrated “an absolute lack of reason.”

For days, there had  been discussions about whether to prevent Russians from travelling to the EU for holidays while people were dying in Ukraine because of Moscow’s actions.

So far, there was no coordinated EU policy. Germany and France were against a broad entry ban, while countries such as the Czech Republic had stopped issuing new visas to Russian citizens for some time now.

(dpa/NAN)