Tajani defers to Brussels on visas for Russian citizens. The League puts the brakes on

Relations with Russia continue to cause a stir within the ruling coalition, particularly between Forza Italia and the Lega. A new point of contention is likely to arise over the issue of a tourist visa issued by the Italian embassy in Minsk to a Belarusian national holding a Russian passport who is under investigation for the attempted attack at Leipzig Airport – an incident that has reignited scrutiny over the number of Russian citizens entering Italy.

According to the European Commission, the number of visas issued by Italy to Russian citizens has risen from 63,894 in 2021 to 161,121 in 2025. Those issued to Belarusians rose from 2,968 to 50,709, and in 98.9 per cent of cases these were multiple-entry visas: the suspension of the visa facilitation agreement, decided by the EU in September 2022, affected Moscow, whilst for Minsk it was limited to regime officials. During the same period, Estonia, Finland and Poland introduced national restrictions, and applications plummeted (in Poland from 9,483 to 103). Demand shifted southwards: France, Italy and Spain issued three-quarters of the 477,000 tourist visas granted to Russians in 2025. The soft underbelly has three capitals, and one of them is Rome.

Kaja Kallas, speaking in Dublin, said that “this type of tourist visa is being used to carry out acts of sabotage”. The High Representative hopes that the events in Leipzig will convince those states that have so far been opposed, and speaks of “broad support” for two measures: a ban on fighters and stricter restrictions on tourists. 

For his part, in Italy, Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani expressed his willingness to coordinate at a European level: “We will look into this together with the other countries,” he replied regarding possible restrictions from Brussels, because we must prevent the infiltration of those who “meet the visa requirements but are not of good character”. Regarding the man detained in Leipzig, he added: “If people meet the requirements and there are no alerts on individual persons, a visa is granted”, promising that investigations would be carried out. Speaking from Cernobbio this morning, he also said that “measures can be taken regarding visas to reduce their number”. 

Stefano Candiani, a Lega MP, responds to Il Foglio and distances himself from the views of his ally and the Foreign Secretary. Is there a need to tighten up on tourist visas? “I think that, with all the problems we have, we can get by without worrying about this situation – quite the opposite, in fact. We get by perfectly well without it.” Banning the entry of combatants and former combatants: “A matter of common sense”. And what about visas for Russians and Belarusians, which have multiplied over the last four years? Candiani laughs: “They must be Vannacci’s voters!” In short, the Carroccio MP does not believe there is any risk of Italy being perceived as the weak link in the Schengen area. “The soft underbelly of the Schengen area seems to me to lie more in the direction of Spain, especially with regard to the situation in Morocco,” he says, shifting the focus to Ceuta.

In June, Italy was among the countries that had put the brakes on the ban on veterans, preferring to “work on the visa regime”. Now the visa regime is on the European Council’s agenda, and Tajani is approaching it with an ally who considers the issue an unnecessary source of anxiety. The PD and Italia Viva have announced two urgent questions to the minister, whilst Copasir will request a briefing note. The Lega, for now, has responded with a quip.