🎙 Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova’s answers to questions from Izvestia regarding Montenegro’s introduction of a visa regime for Russian citizens (October 14, 2026)

❓ Question: Previously, the Montenegrin authorities announced the introduction of a visa regime for Russian citizens effective November 1. Has the Montenegrin side provided any clarifications in this regard? How will this decision affect relations between Moscow and Podgorica? Are any retaliatory measures planned?

Maria Zakharova: Yes, on September 28, the Montenegrin Foreign Ministry notified the Russian Side of the termination of the Agreement between the Government of the Russian Federation and the Government of Montenegro on the terms of reciprocal travel for citizens of September 24, 2008.

According to the clarifications received, in practice this means that, from November 1, our citizens will only be able to enter Montenegro and stay in the country with a visa. Accordingly, Montenegrin citizens will also have to obtain visas to travel to Russia.

❗️ Podgorica’s decision obviously damages Montenegro’s own interests.

The groundwork laid over many years in Russian-Montenegrin relations is being consistently dismantled to cater to European aspirations, and due attention is not being paid to the economic consequences of such steps.

Undoubtedly, the introduction of a visa regime will reduce the tourist flow from Russia, damage Montenegrin businesses and worsen the investment climate. At the same time, it is, of course, pointless for the Montenegrin authorities to count on any compensation from Brussels for the inevitable losses.

***

❓ Question: It has recently emerged that the EU has begun drawing up clear, phased plans for the accession of Albania, Moldova, Ukraine and Montenegro. At the same time, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia and Serbia also hold EU candidate status in the Balkans. How does Russia view the continuation of European integration of the Balkan countries, given the EU’s drift towards becoming a military bloc?

Maria Zakharova: How to build relations with the EU is a sovereign choice for the Balkan countries themselves, which, incidentally, have been waiting in the queue to join the EU for decades (Albania since 2000, North Macedonia since 2004, Montenegro since 2008, and Serbia since 2009).

Over this period, the EU has, of course, changed greatly, and by no means for the better. This concerns both its economic metrics and the way it acts on the international stage.

Frenzied militarisation, a failed migration policy, and a wholly irrational renunciation of trade and energy cooperation with Russia – all of this has had an extremely negative impact on the socioeconomic situation in Europe. The referendum in Iceland in August this year, in which the island’s population voted against resuming EU membership negotiations, clearly demonstrated that the EU has lost its appeal.

☝️ The EU’s drift towards becoming a military bloc, coupled with the declaration of Russia as the principal existential threat for the long term (including “beyond the horizon” of the end of the conflict in and around Ukraine), has also fundamentally altered the essence of the EU enlargement. This process no longer in any way implies that new members can retain a neutral status.

Read in full