Wisconsin Republican Sen. Ron Johnson says the Russian government denied his visa to visit as part of a bipartisan congressional delegation next month.
Johnson, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee’s Subcommittee on Europe and Regional Security Cooperation, had planned to speak with Russian government officials, American businesses, and civil society organizations, according to a statement from his office.
“The path Vladimir Putin has chosen for Russia is a tragedy of historic proportions. Instead of holding free and fair elections, respecting the rule of law, and integrating Russia’s economy with Western democracies, Putin has invaded Georgia, attempted to illegally annex Crimea, conducted war in eastern Ukraine where thousands have died, and supported a barbaric regime in Syria that has used chemical weapons on its own people in a war that has resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands,” Johnson said Monday.
“Eventually, a new generation of leaders will emerge in Russia. Working with Ambassador Huntsman, I had hoped direct dialogue with Russian parliamentarians could help set the stage for better future relations between our two nations. Unfortunately, Russian officials continue to play diplomatic games with this sincere effort and have denied me entrance to Russia. Regardless of this petty affront, I will continue to advocate a strong and resolute response to Russian aggression — and frank dialogue when possible,” he added.
The Russian Foreign Ministry told state-owned TASS that Johnson never applied for a visa and that the senator knew he was on a “stop list.”
We have long been calling on the #UnitedStates?? to remove lawmakers from any travel restrictions as a first step towards abolition of «blacklists». #BTW the senator did not apply for a visa at our Embassy and did not inform about his plans to visit @Russia?? https://t.co/SQLA4uvKPh pic.twitter.com/RQXBHozJg0
— Russia in USA ?? (@RusEmbUSA) August 27, 2019
Johnson was a lead sponsor for legislation to rename the street in front of the Russian Embassy in Washington, D.C., after dissident Boris Nemtsov, who was assassinated in 2015 on a bridge just outside the Kremlin. He also led Senate resolutions calling for a stronger response against Russia for attacking and seizing Ukrainian ships in the Kerch Strait in November 2018 and the cancellation of a controversial energy pipeline connecting Russia to Western Europe, called Nord Stream 2.
Russia has blocked U.S. lawmakers entry in the past. In 2017 the Kremlin denied a visa to New Hampshire Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, a vocal supporter of a Russia sanctions bill. Johnson and Sen. John Barrasso, who had planned to visit the country with her, canceled their planned trip. A spokesperson for the Russian Embassy in the U.S. said at the time that Shaheen, a Democrat, was on a “black list” in response to U.S. sanctions.
Johnson’s statement comes after President Trump floated the idea of readmitting Russia to the group of the world’s seven largest economies, the G-7. Russia was removed from the then-G-8 after it seized Crimea from Ukraine in 2014.
