Russia says resumption of visa services by US ‘step in right direction’

A promise by the US to resume visa services at its consulates in St. Petersburg, Ekaterinburg and Vladivostok as of December 11 is “a step in the right direction,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday. “Residents of our regions have had to apply to the US Embassy in Moscow since August, where the waiting period for compulsory interviews was likewise officially extended to 85 days,” the ministry said. “It was extremely difficult to register in an electronic queue even three months before the interview... Now getting a visa is next to impossible,” it added, according to TASS. The ministry said it is regrettable that, as the US embassy explained, “visa services will still be provided in a restricted volume only.”