In 2010, Russia submitted a draft deal to the European Union on visa-free travel between Russia and Schengen zone countries.
"We overcame all the difficulties that arose due to changes in the issuance of Schengen visas, strengthened the work of our consulates in Russia by attracting dozens of new employees, and we are ready to meet the high demand of Russian nationals for travel to Greece. At the same time, I find it necessary, as I have already mentioned at a European level, that dialogue is relaunched on easing the visa regime for Russian citizens," Tsipras said.
In October 2015, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Moscow had fulfilled all the necessary conditions to abolish visas with the European Union, but Brussels had assumed a negative stance on the issue long before the deterioration in Russia-EU relations amid the Ukrainian crisis.