Russia says US denied visa to vice foreign minister ahead of UN General Assembly

Russia has said that its vice foreign minister, Alexander Alimov, was denied a visa to enter the United States, describing the move as an act of hostility. The claim was made by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Tuesday, hours before the start of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Moscow said Alimov was travelling as part of an official delegation sent by the Russian government.

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According to the supplied report, the Russian foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, was already in New York for the UN meetings and was due to hold a bilateral meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday. The Russian side did not say whether Alimov had already reached the United States or whether the visa issue would affect the rest of the delegation. The US government had not publicly responded to the allegation at the time of the report.

The timing gives the dispute immediate diplomatic weight because the UN General Assembly is one of the few regular settings where Russian and US officials meet directly despite wider tensions. As host country, the United States is expected to facilitate access for accredited officials attending UN business, although visa disputes have periodically complicated participation in meetings in New York. Russia's public criticism suggests it views the refusal as more than an administrative matter and as a challenge to its ability to take part fully in the session.

The row also comes against a broader backdrop of strained relations between Moscow and Washington over diplomacy, sanctions and access for officials. The supplied material notes that Iran had already complained a day earlier that the United States refused visas for journalists accompanying President Masoud Pezeshkian to the General Assembly. That adds to the sense that travel and accreditation issues are becoming part of the political atmosphere around this year's UN gathering.

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What remains unclear is the reason for the visa denial, whether it was final or could still be reversed, and whether it will affect the planned Lavrov-Rubio meeting. It is also not known whether the issue will be raised formally with the UN or handled through bilateral channels. The next developments to watch are any response from Washington and whether Russia expands its complaint beyond Alimov's case.

Russia has said that its deputy foreign minister was denied a visa to enter the United States, describing the move as a hostile act. The complaint was made on Tuesday by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, just hours before the start of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Moscow said it had sent official representatives to the United States and indicated that the deputy foreign minister was part of that delegation.

Peskov said the visa refusal contradicted the obligations of the United States as the host country of the United Nations. He said the matter would be taken up with Washington, but did not provide further details on the official involved or on the reasons given for the denial. The timing of the announcement, immediately before the annual gathering of world leaders, gave the dispute added diplomatic sensitivity.

The incident matters because access to the United Nations headquarters in New York is central to the participation of member states in the General Assembly. As host country, the United States is expected to facilitate travel for accredited officials attending UN business, even when relations with their governments are strained. Russia's public criticism suggests it sees the visa decision as more than a routine administrative matter and as a challenge to its ability to take part fully in the session.

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The row also comes against the backdrop of long-running tensions between Moscow and Washington over diplomacy, sanctions and access for officials. Disputes over visas have periodically affected international meetings in New York, where the UN's headquarters is located on US territory but serves a global institution. In this case, the complaint was made at a moment when the General Assembly was about to begin, increasing the likelihood of immediate political fallout.

So far, the available information does not identify the deputy foreign minister by name or explain whether the visa denial affected other members of the Russian delegation. It is also unclear whether Washington has responded publicly to the allegation. What happens next will depend on whether the issue is resolved through diplomatic channels or becomes a broader dispute during the UN gathering in New York.

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