Russian Federation Council Suggests to Blacklist US Secretary of State

Russian Federation Council member said that the council had proposed Wednesday to add US Secretary of State John Kerry and his deputies to the list of politicians banned from entry to Russia.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) —  Council proposed Wednesday to add US Secretary of State John Kerry and his deputies to the list of politicians banned from entry to Russia in response for the disruption of Russia’s upper house of parliament speaker Valentina Matvienko’s planned visit to the United States, a Council member told RIA Novosti.

Earlier on Wednesday, Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the US visa for Matvienko issued after long delays contains “a number of unacceptable restrictions” which would make it impossible for the politician to attend the Fourth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament at the United Nations' Headquarters in New York.

Member of the International Committee of the Federation Council Igor Morozov stated that the retaliatory measures should be “asymmetric.”

“Russia needs to expand its sanctions list at the expense of people who made the decision considering the visa for the speaker of the Federation Council, which contradicts the fundamentals of international law — Secretary of State John Kerry and his deputies,” Morozov said.

Matvienko, who is included in the US sanctions list, was invited to attend the international conference, scheduled to be held on August 31 – September 2.

The European Union and its allies imposed several rounds of sanctions against Russia, including a list of individuals against whom travelling bans were imposed, citing Moscow’s alleged involvement in the Ukrainian conflict – a claim that Moscow repeatedly denied.

In response, Russia compiled its own black list of persons from the United States and the European Union.