Moscow irked by US plan to change transit rules for Russian citizens

Moscow has called the US Immigration and Naturalization Service's plans to introduce new transit rules for Russian citizens "a serious limitation of Russian citizens' right to travel," says the Russian Foreign Ministry's communique circulated on Wednesday. If the new rules are approved by the US authorities, Russia will be included in the group of countries whose citizens shall have to obtain transit visas in advance for travelling to third countries through the US, even in the event of a brief technical stopover. Russia’s Foreign Ministry has expressed hope that Moscow's stance "will be taken into account." It also warned that "otherwise, Russia reserves the right to take similar steps in relation to US citizens."