Germany and France warned on Tuesday against a European Union ban on tourist visas for Russians, saying it would be counter-productive, highlighting divisions within the 27-nation bloc as foreign ministers prepared to discuss the measure.

Eastern and Nordic countries strongly back such a ban, saying travel to the EU is a privilege, not a right, and that allowing Russians to party on European beaches at a time when their country has invaded Ukraine is unacceptable. The Kremlin slammed the proposed ban as “irrational,” while Paris and Berlin argued that, six months into the war, the EU should avoid penalising ordinary Russians who might oppose their government’s actions and harbour pro-Western sympathies.