Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas said on Friday that the reaction to the calls to ban Schengen visas for Russians is showing that it is an effective tool for sanctioning Moscow.
She added that it is also a fair option as only three countries carry the burden.
Although the European Union has divided opinions about the issue, Kallas has said that "We will continue these negotiations. The foreign ministers have a meeting at the end of August and this topic is very much on the agenda."
"What must be understood is that only 10 percent of the Russian population travels abroad and it is these people, who are mainly from Moscow and St. Petersburg, whose opinion matters," Kallas said speaking to ERR website.
"This is also shown by Russia's very painful reaction to this proposal," she added.
"It shows that this is the Achilles' heel. This is something that they are really afraid of, so it is effective."
"And the fact that they once again attack me personally, that they pay so much attention to me, that Russia did not consider it necessary to pay [much attention to] any Estonian politician before, suggests that we must continue to fight for a just cause," Kallas said.
The Estonian prime minister has previously been verbally attacked by the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Maria Zakharova as well as former Russian president and deputy chairman of its Security Council Dmitry Medvedev over her thoughts on the issue.
