Entry for Russians to Poland May be Blocked, President Says

Western countries began to discuss various sanctions against Russia after on February 21, Russian President Vladimir Putin recognized the sovereignty of the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics

WARSAW, February 23. /TASS/. Polish President Andrzej Duda stated that the entry to his country may be blocked for Russians if the situation in eastern Ukraine aggravates.

"Unfortunately, sanctions should be very potent," the Polish leader said at a joint press conference with his Ukrainian and Lithuanian counterparts Vladimir Zelensky and Gitanas Nauseda in Kiev on Wednesday. He reiterated that Poland borders the Kaliningrad Region. "As Russia’s neighbor, I will do this with regret, supporting the sanctions that will block the opportunity to travel, for example, for Russian citizens," he noted.

"We are calling for peace and tranquility," the Polish leader said. "As Poland’s president who knows a lot of Russians, I have no doubts that the Russians, the ordinary citizens of a large Russian state, want to live in tranquility, do not want to fight, want to build their future, want to be seen as good and honest people, simply as the citizens of the world," he added.

Western countries began to discuss various sanctions against Russia after on February 21, Russian President Vladimir Putin recognized the sovereignty of the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics (DPR and LPR). Agreements on friendship, cooperation and mutual assistance were signed with their leaders.

This happened after the situation along the Contact Line in eastern Ukraine took a turn for the worse. The DPR and LPR reported the most massive bombardments by the Ukrainian armed forces over the past months. On February 18, LPR and DPR Heads Leonid Pasechnik and Denis Pushilin announced civilian evacuations from the republics to Russia due to the mounting danger of hostilities.