The United States "actually stopped" issuing visas to Russians, including in humanitarian cases. This was announced by Consul General in Houston Alexander Pisarev, RIA Novosti reports..

Pisarev made this statement, commenting on the situation with the death of a Russian citizen who drowned while on vacation in Utah. "Now for him (the deceased) like that, you will not arrive - Americans do not give a visa ...", said Pisarev. Other evidence that the United States does not issue visas to Russians now is.

In 2017, Russia in response to US sanctions sent more than 700 employees of American diplomatic institutions. Washington then warned Moscow that this could lead to the fact that the timing of consideration of applications of Russians for visas to the United States will increase.

In March of this year, the US expelled 60 Russian diplomats and closed the consulate general of the Russian Federation in Seattle because of the poisoning of Sergei and Julia Skripal in Salisbury. Russia responded by sending 60 US diplomats and closing the US Consulate General in St. Petersburg. The US earlier several times suspended the issuance of visas to Russians due to technical failures, and also because of the reduction in the number of employees of the diplomatic mission.