Two senators abandoned a planned trip to Russia to meet with government officials after Russia cancelled a visa for fellow Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., who was scheduled to accompany them, The Hill reported Friday.
Republican Sens. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin and John Barrasso of Wyoming said they would not go on their scheduled trip to Russia on Jan. 11 without Shaheen.
The three senators all sit on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and had planned to go to Russia to meet with both government officials and civic organizations in an effort to improve U.S.-Russia relations.
The Kremlin denied Shaheen's visa without giving an explanation, but her aide said she placed responsibility with the Russian government.
"While she regrets the Kremlin's decision to impede dialogue between the Senate and the Russian people, she vows to continue her work to hold the Russian government accountable for its actions that go against international norms and against the Russian people," her spokesman said.
Shaheen has been a critic of Russia, backing a bill earlier this year that levied new sanctions over alleged Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. She also was in support of forcing Russian news agency RT to register as a foreign agent.
In addition, in a bipartisan letter last spring she urged Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to meet with opposition activists on a trip he had scheduled for Moscow.
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