US denies visa to Alexander Alimov for UN General Assembly
The US has denied a visa to Alexander Alimov, Russia's deputy foreign minister, stopping him from joining the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Russia called the move "unfriendly," since Alimov oversees United Nations affairs and was supposed to join Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's team.
The Assembly kicked off on September 22, 2026, with leaders from around the world gathering for big discussions.
Logvinov calls US visa denial 'far-fetched'
Russia criticized the US decision, saying it breaks America's responsibilities as host of the United Nations.
Kirill Logvinov, director of the Russian Foreign Ministry's department for international organizations, called out what Moscow described as "far-fetched" grounds for visa denial.
The United Nations confirmed that other delegations are also facing unresolved visa issues and said it's working with the US to sort things out, so, even with these tensions, global talks at the Assembly are moving forward as planned.