WASHINGTON, August 7 (RIA Novosti) - The United States Embassy and Consulates in Russia stopped accepting visa payments made through VTB bank which fell under the US sanctions, Public Affairs Officer in the Bureau of Consular Affairs Elizabeth Finan told RIA Novosti.
“It is correct that the US Embassy and Consulates in Russia are no longer accepting visa application fees at VTB locations. Any payments made to VTB 24 before August 1, 2014, will be honored,” Finan said Thursday.
Last week, the US imposed new economic sanctions against Russia’s three major banks — VTB Group, Bank of Moscow and Rosselkhozbank, the move was copied by the European Union. Russia’s biggest state-run banks are now barred from raising financing on western capital markets.
The sanctions prohibit the “direct or indirect purchase or sale of, the brokering or assistance in the issuance of, or any other dealing with bonds, equity or similar financial instruments with a maturity exceeding 90 days, issued after 1 August 2014” by major credit institutions or finance development institutions established in Russia with over 50 percent state ownership.
