Republican senators canceled their visits to Russia after the refusal of the Russian Federation a visa for their colleague from the Democratic party Joan Shain.
The Senator from Wisconsin Ron Johnson and a representative of Wyoming John Barrasso will not go to Russia as a sign of solidarity with Shahin.
All three work in the foreign Affairs Committee and was going to visit Russia on January 11. Their plans had meetings with civil activists and with non-governmental organizations. In addition, they wanted to communicate with «the next generation of Russian leaders and current officials to understand the prospects for future U.S.-Russian relations.»
Shain known as the initiator of the prohibition of the use of Russian antivirus software «Kaspersky Lab» by the Ministry of defense. She believes that the antivirus is a threat to America’s national security.
In September, Shain told The New York Times that «in addition to direct links of master Kaspersky and the Russian government, we can’t ignore the circumstantial evidence that Russia’s President Putin businessmen and oligarchs have no choice but to cooperate with the Kremlin.»
The representative Shain Ryan Nickel said that «despite the fact that [he] regrets the decision of the Kremlin to obstruct the dialogue between the Senate and the Russian people, she promises to continue to make efforts to bring the Russian government accountable for its actions contravene international law.»
The representative of the Russian Embassy in the United States in its statement pointed out that the visa Shain has not received, since it is located in Russian «black list» that was created in response to the prohibition of visiting the U.S. some Russian politicians. Press Secretary of the Embassy , Nikolai Lahonin reported that the Russian side proposed a compromise to lift the ban on the entry of officials from the «black list». But, he said, the United States refused. Lakhonin also stated that the Washington policy of «black lists» «negative impact on international politics».
Recall that this is not the first time American officials are banned entry to Russia. In 2014, the country was permitted to visit six politicians. Among them were the speaker of the house of representatives John Andrew Boehner is the leader of the Senate majority Harry Reid.
