We are outraged that members of the Russian State Duma—individuals who have supported and enabled the Kremlin’s war of aggression against Ukraine—are being welcomed by the members of Congress and Administration officials despite being under U.S. sanctions.
Sanctions are not symbolic. They are a tool of accountability, imposed precisely because these individuals bear responsibility for grave violations of international law, repression at home, and aggression abroad. Allowing sanctioned officials to travel to the United States undermines the credibility of these measures and sends a deeply troubling signal about their enforcement.
At a time when Ukrainian people continue to suffer, and political prisoners in Russia remain behind bars, granting access to those complicit in these policies is unacceptable. It risks normalizing impunity and weakening the united front that democratic countries must maintain.
We call on U.S. authorities to clarify how such entries were permitted, to ensure full enforcement of sanctions regimes, and to prevent any further erosion of accountability. Sanctions must mean consequences—otherwise, they mean nothing.
We are outraged that members of the Russian State Duma—individuals who have supported and enabled the Kremlin’s war of aggression against Ukraine—are being welcomed by the members of Congress and Administration officials despite being under U.S. sanctions.
Sanctions are not symbolic. They are a tool of accountability, imposed precisely because these individuals bear responsibility for grave violations of international law, repression at home, and aggression abroad. Allowing sanctioned officials to travel to the United States undermines the credibility of these measures and sends a deeply troubling signal about their enforcement.
At a time when Ukrainian people continue to suffer, and political prisoners in Russia remain behind bars, granting access to those complicit in these policies is unacceptable. It risks normalizing impunity and weakening the united front that democratic countries must maintain.
We call on U.S. authorities to clarify how such entries were permitted, to ensure full enforcement of sanctions regimes, and to prevent any further erosion of accountability. Sanctions must mean consequences—otherwise, they mean nothing.