Russian Embassy Explains True Reason of US Congressional Visit Cancellation

The Russian Embassy in Washington explained, that it had proposed different ways to resolve the situation, including reaching an agreement to issue visas to parliamentarians in the ‘black lists’ on reciprocal basis, but every proposal was rejected by the American side.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The cancellation of a planned trip to Russia by two US congressmen was not Kremlin’s fault, the Russian Embassy in Washington, D.C. said Friday.

US publication Politico reported earlier in the day that Republican senators Ron Johnson and John Barasso had called off the visit after their Democratic colleague Jeanne Shaheen was denied entry.

"Visas were issued to all members of the delegation, except Senator Jeanne Shaheen, who is in the Russian ‘black list’, which was created in response to US sanctions against our country," the diplomatic mission explained in a statement.

"Attempt to present this situation as if the visit was cancelled because of the Russian side is totally biased and untrue. In fact, we proposed different ways out of the situation, including reaching an agreement to issue visas to parliamentarians in the ‘black lists’ on reciprocal basis. Unfortunately, this proposal was rejected by the American side," it continued.