MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The speaker of Russia’s upper house of parliament, Valentina Matvienko, will most likely cancel her planned visit to the United States, a source in the Federation Council said Monday.
"The trip will most likely be cancelled," the source told RIA Novosti adding that the final decision would be announced on Tuesday.
On Monday, press secretary of the US Embassy in Russia, William Stevens, told RIA Novosti that the US entry visa application for Matvienko is still under review.
Earlier reports indicated that Matvienko, who is included in a US sanctions list, could possibly be denied a US visa despite an invitation to attend the Fourth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament at the United Nations' Headquarters.
Since 2014, the European Union, the United States and a number of other countries have imposed several rounds of anti-Russia sanctions, including entry bans on several Russian individuals.
Western countries have accused the Kremlin of meddling in Ukraine’s internal affairs, while Moscow has consistently denied the allegations.
On July 1, Finland denied entry visas to a group of Russian lawmakers on an EU sanctions blacklist, including the speaker of Russia’s lower house of parliament, Sergei Naryshkin. Russian President Vladimir Putin condemned the move, saying that it had no legal basis.
