Russia and EU already in talks on visa-free travel

Officials from the EU and Russia have begun discussing ways of simplifying visa application procedures and a potential move to a visa-free travel system in the future. This was announced on Saturday, July 26 by Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov during a meeting with President Putin.

The foreign minister also gave an account of preparations for Putin's forthcoming visit to the US, which is scheduled for September, and the EU-Russia summit that will take place in November. The president instructed the foreign minister to continue actively working towards a solution to problems in Iraq and to continue pushing the 'roadmap' peace plan in the Middle East.