Two U.S. senators say they were denied visas as part of an official delegation to Russia, a sign of the frayed ties between D.C. and Moscow despite Pres. Trump's consistent calls for better relations with Vladimir Putin's government.
Two U.S. senators say that they were denied visas as part of an official delegation to Russia for talks with their counterparts in the country's parliament.
The Russian government denied that there were plans for any talks and said Johnson never applied for a visa, but also blamed the U.S. for barring Russian lawmakers from traveling to America. Johnson first revealed he was denied late Monday, saying in a statement,"I had hoped direct dialogue with Russian parliamentarians could help set the stage for better future relations between our two nations. Unfortunately, Russian officials continue to play diplomatic games with this sincere effort and have denied me entrance to Russia."
"Nothing is known at present about the Russian visit of the U.S. Congress' delegation for talks with officials to which Ron Johnson refers," Leonid Slutsky, the chair of the Duma's international affairs committee, told reporters Tuesday. A State Department spokesperson told ABC News the agency was aware of reports about Johnson and Murphy's visas, but offered no comment on the decision. The department was"prepared to support planned travel by Senators Johnson and Murphy to Russia... to discuss a wide range of issues affecting relations between the United States and Russia and to assess the prospects for a more constructive relationship," the spokesperson added.
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