Russian Ambassador to Washington Anatoly Antonov said that the United States has not yet agreed on the arrival of a special flight of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov for his participation in UN events in April. According to him, Washington also did not issue visas to his escorts.
According to Mr. Antonov, at the end of March, a request for visas for the Russian delegation and journalists was sent to the US Embassy in Moscow. “There was an agreement to invite representatives of domestic media to the American diplomatic mission on March 31 to consider their visa applications. However, in less than a day, the appointment was canceled without explanation,” he said in a statement published in Telegram channel embassies.
“At the same time, an incomprehensible situation is developing around the minister’s special aircraft. The US authorities have not yet agreed on the arrival of the aircraft,” Anatoly Antonov added. According to him, the Russian side expects prompt issuance of permission for the aircraft to fly “without any conditions and restrictions.”
In April, Russia chairs the UN Security Council. At the end of the month, meetings are to be held at the UN headquarters, in which the Russian delegation, headed by Sergey Lavrov, is expected to take part. The day before, the Russian Foreign Ministry said that the United States had not yet issued visas to Mr. Lavrov and other members of the delegation.
Russian diplomats were denied visas for international events against the backdrop of the Russian military operation in Ukraine and the sanctions that followed in response, which included Mr. Lavrov. In September 2022, the US denied visas to several members of the Russian delegation to attend the UN General Assembly. In March 2023, Washington again did not issue visas to Russians to participate in UN events.