Servicemen of the Russian diplomatic mission in the U.S. reported that the United States has initiated a so-called "visa war", imposing the practice of personal visa exchanges. The employees of Russian foreign missions can only receive entry permits in conjunction with the issuance of visas to American staff, as was announced by the Russian Embassy in the United States of America on Facebook.
According to Russians, the U.S. initiated a so-called visa-war and claimed that there were no refusals to issue visas to diplomats and other specialists employed by the US missions. In its statement, the Russian side has also repeatedly called on Washington to fully normalize the states' relations in terms of consular and visa issues.
“We would like to remind once again that the responsibility for this ‘stalemate’ lies entirely with the American side… There is no need to put your brand on the wrong steer. The ball is on the American side,” the Embassy stated on Facebook.