On Monday Russian officials said that the decision was the result of political wrangling in Washington and presented Moscow as the defender of the rights of ordinary citizens.
“Russia is in conflict with forces who draw on sanctions, who want a confrontation with our country, but we don’t have a conflict with American society,” Alexei Pushkov, a Federation Council member and a frequent commentator on foreign affairs, was cited as saying by the Interfax news agency. “Those who want to visit Russia, should have the opportunity to do so.”
“I don’t see the benefit or the point of reacting to a decision, taken, in my opinion, by an offended superpower.”
Speaking to Russia’s state-funded Sputnik radio, the deputy head of the Federation Council’s foreign affairs committee, Vladimir Dzhabarov, echoed Pushkov’s point.
“The Americans are trying to turn Russian citizens against the Foreign Ministry leadership and Russian authorities, but [U.S.] steps have meant people can’t calmly travel to America.”
Non-immigrant visas are issued to travelers who want to visit the U.S. temporarily, as opposed to applying for permanent residency in the country. In Moscow, officials argued the visa freeze would affect relatively few Russian citizens.