In an extraordinary meeting this afternoon, the ambassadors of the EU countries hope to agree on an extension of sanctions against the more than 3,000 people accused of activities in support of Russia's war and the occupation of parts of Ukraine.
A decision was expected several weeks ago, but has been held up by demands from Slovakia and France to lift sanctions against metal and technology oligarch Usmanov.
According to the news site Euractiv, there is now an opening for that - if France agrees to stricter general visa requirements for Russian citizens.
France and Italy together account for more than half of the Russian visas to the EU granted annually.
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