Russia’s U.N. ambassador has accused the United States of failing to issue a visa to Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Alimov, preventing him from attending a United Nations Security Council meeting in New York.
Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia raised the issue during a 15-member Security Council session chaired by China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi, saying Alimov had been expected to attend the meeting.
He described the alleged visa denial as a breach of the United States’ obligations as the host country of the UN headquarters, calling it “an egregious instance of disrespect.”
A UN diplomat also claimed that Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi may have been denied a visa to attend the same meeting, although a US State Department official later said Washington did not block his travel to New York.
The main focus of the meeting was strengthening multilateral cooperation and upholding the UN Charter, with discussions set to continue in the Security Council following a UN holiday.
The US State Department and its UN mission did not immediately respond to questions regarding the visa situation involving the Russian and Iranian officials.
Nebenzia argued that under the UN Headquarters Agreement, access to UN meetings in New York should be granted to all member state officials without exception.
A UN spokesperson said the host country is expected to issue visas to all participants required to attend UN-related activities.
China’s UN mission said it had no information regarding the reported visa issues.
The controversy comes amid ongoing geopolitical tensions, including disputes involving Iran, the United States, and Russia over diplomacy, sanctions, and military activity.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres has previously warned that global conflict levels are now at their highest since the founding of the United Nations in 1945.
