Russia: US refused to issue visa to deputy foreign minister ahead of UN General Assembly

On Tuesday, September 22, the United States again denied a visa to Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Alimov, this time ahead of the UN General Assembly session in New York. The Kremlin called the refusal an "unfriendly act." Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the US actions violate the country's obligations as the host state of the UN headquarters. In May 2026, Alimov was already denied a visa to participate in open UN Security Council debates, which were then chaired by China. Russia's UN envoy Vasily Nebenzya called that refusal not only a violation of Washington's obligations but also an outright disrespect to China's presidency of the Security Council. According to him, Russian officials continue to regularly face visa denials despite the improvement in relations between Moscow and Washington under the Trump administration.