US starts issuing visas to Russian delegation led by Lavrov to UNSC, not reporters

The United States has started issuing visas to the Russian delegation, led by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, allowing them to participate in the upcoming sessions of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) at the end of April. This information was confirmed by the Russian Foreign Ministry, which stated that the American side has begun the process of granting visas for the Russian delegation's participation in the UNSC sessions, which Russia has been chairing since April.

"The American side began issuing visas to the Russian delegation led by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov for their participation in the sessions of the UNSC which Russia has been chairing since April," read a statement from the Russian Foreign Ministry, as per a report from TASS. "However, a dead-end situation remains with issuing visas to Russian journalists who are supposed to cover our delegation’s work in the UN Security Council," the statement added.  Notably, Lavrov is scheduled to visit the UN headquarters and participate in the Security Council's sessions on April 24 and 25. 

Why is this noteworthy? 

The uncertainity over visas for Russian journalists is newsworthy because this report comes on the heels of Wall Street Journalist Evan Gershkovich's detainment by Russia. The US government has designated Gershkovich as "wrongfully detained," a status that triggers a particular State Department office to take the lead in seeking his release, according to an announcement made on Monday.

US President Joe Biden personally spoke to Gershkovich's parents on Tuesday, reiterating his condemnation of the journalist's detention. "We're making it real clear that it's totally illegal what's happening, and we declared it so," stated the president. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, on Thursday, reiterated Moscow's claim that Gershkovich was caught red-handed. He denied reports suggesting that Russian President Vladimir Putin had personally sanctioned Gershkovich's arrest