Estonian Call for EU to Blacklist Russian Combatants to Move Forward: Kallas

Estonian Foreign Minister Magnus Tsahkna said that Russian combatants should be barred from entering the European Union’s Schengen area.

European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas attends a press conference after the Five Defense Ministers meeting in Berlin, Germany, on Nov. 14, 2025. Ebrahim Noroozi/AP Photo

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said that an Estonian proposal to blacklist Russians who have fought in Ukraine was supported by “many member states,” during a meeting of EU foreign ministers on Jan. 29.

“If you look how many ex-combatants are there compared to the war in Afghanistan, for example, there are a lot of them. And it poses a clear security risk to Europe,” Kallas, who was previously prime minister of Estonia, said, adding that the ministers had agreed to take the proposal further.