Russian Foreign Ministry Says US Turned Procedure of Issuing Visas into “Real Hell”
2 Min Read
Over the weekend, the US Department of State added Russian citizens seeking an American visa to the Homeless Nationalities category.
-
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova
"The US has turned the standard technical procedure for issuing visas into real hell."
That is what Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova wrote on Telegram, on Sunday, in response to Washington's decision to include Russians in the category of "homeless nationalities."
Zakharova described the situation as "mockery on the verge of sadism."
"For many years, American diplomats were destroying the system of rendering consular services in Russia that they did not create in the first place. They closed down consulates, reduced the number of consular staff, experimented with how our symmetrical response differs from the mirror one. Didn't it occur to any of the apologists of this dirty strategy that they have been destroying their own ideals of freedom?" she stressed.
What does 'Homeless' mean?
'Homeless' US visa applicants are those that have to refer to neighboring countries when their state does not have a US consular mission or when the political situation there is 'so insecure' that it does not allow US diplomats to process visa applications.
This list includes ten countries, including Somalia, Venezuela, Syria, and Iran. Meanwhile, Russians can now apply for a visa to the United States in Warsaw.
![In a 2021 interview with Frontline by former US special representative James Jeffrey, he says he had "engaged with [HTS] via backchannels while serving in President Trump’s State Department. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Batoul Chamas)](https://alpha-en-media.almayadeen.net/media/image/2024/12/21/b4a69f2e-8682-43e4-9d37-49482b304ab3/3.png?v=2&format=webp "In a 2021 interview with Frontline by former US special representative James Jeffrey, he says he had \"engaged with [HTS] via backchannels while serving in President Trump’s State Department. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Batoul Chamas)")
