Russia will start issuing electronic visas for some European Union countries starting on October 1, President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday.

Putin made the statement speaking alongside his Finnish counterpart, Sauli Niinisto in Helsinki.

On July 19, the Russian president signed a decree extending the electronic visa regime to the territory of St. Petersburg and the Leningrad Region.

Niinisto on Wednesday did not rule out the possibility of discussion with Moscow on the introduction of electronic visas for Finnish citizens to visit some Russian regions.