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Russian ForMin to react to Kiev’s decision to restrict Russians' entrance to Ukraine

"We intend to make an exception for Ukraine given the internal crisis in that country," Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said
Russian Foreign Ministry ITAR-TASS/Sergei Bobylev
Russian Foreign Ministry
© ITAR-TASS/Sergei Bobylev

ASHGABAD, February 3 /TASS/. The Russian Foreign Ministry is going to make an official statement on Kiev’s decision to ban Russian citizens from using internal Russian passports to enter Ukraine, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Tuesday. According to Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk, Russians will be able to enter Ukraine only on foreign passports as of March 1, 2015.

"If I have got him right, Prime Minister Yatsenyuk said that the initiative belonged to (president) Putin who suggested the idea some time ago, and now Kiev has heard his proposal," Lavrov said.

"The Russian Foreign Ministry is preparing a special statement. What Yatsenyuk said is wrong. Indeed, we are switching over to reciprocal trips on foreign passports with most CIS countries while preserving a visa-free regime. However, we intend to make an exception for Ukraine given the internal crisis in that country," the Russian foreign minister explained, adding the Foreign Ministry had informed the Ukrainian colleagues of that intention.