Since September 19, Finland has been the only EU country bordering Russia with a land border open to Russians. Earlier on Friday, the Finnish authorities announced that a decision in principle to ban tourism and transit from Russia had been made.
"Based on this decision, the movement of tourists will be stopped. Visas may be suspended or restricted, except for special groups, such as people visiting relatives. They [groups allowed to enter] will be detailed in the decision," Haavisto said at a briefing broadcast by the Finnish media.
The minister noted that the decision would come into force in the coming days.
"There is no exact date, but this is a tough decision. All tourist flows across the border will be blocked. This applies both to those who travel on Schengen visas previously issued by Finland, and to those who travel on Schengen visas issued by other countries," Haavisto said.
He noted that the preferential procedure for obtaining visas for property owners will be closed.
"Details of the decision are still being discussed. Visas can be issued for reasons such as family relationships, study and work. The loophole for property owners will be closed," Haavisto said.
The minister noted that a fundamental decision had been made, and all involved departments were urgently clarifying legal details.
Finland was one of the main transit countries for Russians especially after EU countries closed its airspace for Russian planes and flights coming from Russia after Moscow initiated a special military operation in Ukraine. In recent months, a number of senior Finnish politicians had been in favor of imposing visa restrictions on Russians.
Earlier in the month, Poland, Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania agreed to put restrictions on Russians trying to enter their countries. Spokesman of the Polish government Piotr Muller said that Russians would not be able to come to these EU states even with Schengen visas issued by third countries.