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U.S. halts issuing Russian tourist visas for 8 days
MOSCOW — In a step that could affect hundreds of thousands of Russian tourists, the U.S. Embassy in Russia said Monday it would suspend issuing nonimmigrant visas for eight days from Wednesday in response to the Russian decision to cap embassy staff.
The embassy made the decision after the Russian Foreign Ministry ordered a cap on the number of U.S. diplomatic personnel in Russia, it said in a statement, adding that it would resume issuing visas in Moscow on Sept. 1, but maintain the suspension at consulates in St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg and Vladivostok indefinitely.
Nearly a quarter of a million Russian tourists visited the U.S. last year, according to Russian tourism officials.
Earlier this month, Russia ordered the U.S. to cut its embassy and consulate staff in Russia by 755, or two-thirds.
Moscow’s move was a long-expected response to former President Barack Obama’s move to expel 35 Russian diplomats and shut down two Russian recreational retreats in the United States following allegations of Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.
President Vladimir Putin said Russia felt forced to reciprocate after the U.S. Congress approved sanctions against Russia for meddling in the 2016 election and for its aggression in Ukraine and Syria. He dismissed the new package of sanctions as based on “unfounded accusations.”
The vast majority of the more than 1,000 employees at the various U.S. diplomatic missions in Russia, including the embassy in Moscow and the three consulates, are believed to be Russian nationals.
The U.S. Embassy said Monday that Russia’s decision to cut its staff “calls into question Russia’s seriousness about pursuing better relations.” However, it insisted that it would be able to maintain adequate staffing “to carry out essential elements of our mission.”
The U.S. State Department said the decision to suspend visas was not retaliation for Russia’s capping of U.S. diplomatic personnel, noting that having fewer personnel inevitably results in a reduction in the services they can provide.
Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov described the U.S. move as “another attempt to fan Russian citizens’ discontent with the government” and a continuation of positions taken under the previous White House.
“It’s a well-known logic of those who stage revolutions,” Lavrov said in a reference to Moscow’s long-held claims that the U.S. was fomenting unrest in Russia and other exSoviet nations. Washington has denied the accusations.
Asked about a possible Russian reaction, Lavrov said that unlike the U.S. government, Russia “is not going to take it out on U.S. citizens.”
Also Monday, Putin named a career Russian diplomat, who gained the reputation of a hawk during his earlier tenure at the Defense Ministry, as the new ambassador to the United States.
Anatoly Antonov, 62, succeeds Sergey Kislyak, who found himself in the center of controversy amid claims of Russia’s interference in the U.S. presidential vote. Kislyak’s contacts with members of President Donald Trump’s team have been part of congressional and FBI investigations into possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia. Russia has denied any interference in the U.S. election.
Antonov joined the Foreign Ministry in 1978 and gradually rose through the ranks to take the job of the chief of the ministry’s security and disarmament department in 2004. As part of his job, he led negotiations on various international agreements, including the 2010 New START nuclear arms reduction treaty signed by the United States and Russia.
In 2011, Antonov left the Foreign Ministry to become a deputy defense minister in charge of international ties.
The European Union and Canada have sanctioned Antonov for his role in the Ukrainian crisis.