Tensions between Russia and the Senate are rising despite President Donald Trump's latest outreach to Moscow, with the Kremlin barring senators in both parties from visiting and Democrats urging Trump to keep Russia out of the G-7.
Sens. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), both members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said Russia denied their visas as part of a congressional delegation.
Those revelations were quickly followed by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and other Democrats arguing to Trump that “under no circumstances” should Putin be allowed to take part in the meeting of global powers. Russia was expelled in 2014 after annexing Crimea.Murphy warned in a statement Tuesday morning that denying visas to members of Congress could further stymie dialogue between the United States and Russia. He emphasized that it’s in the world’s best interest to prevent conflict between the two countries.
“Unfortunately, the Russian government is further isolating their country by blocking our visit and several others in recent months,” Murphy said. “ With the collapse of recent arms control agreements and significant domestic opposition to Vladimir Putin’s authoritarian rule, this is potentially a perilous moment for our two nations’ fragile relationship.”
Russia's barring senators and Schumer's letter, taken together, heighten the already fraught relationship between Congress and Putin even as Trump pushed for Putin's inclusion into the G-7.
Johnson also said Monday evening that he too was denied entry to the country; the Wisconsin senator was part of a Republican delegation that visited last summer.
On Monday night, Johnson criticized Putin for his recent actions in the region, including failing to hold free and fair elections, supporting Syria and annexing Crimea.
Johnson said that while he hoped that he could work with Ambassador Jon Huntsman to improve the United States’ relationship with Russia, “Russian officials continue to play diplomatic games with this sincere effort and have denied [him] entrance to Russia.”
The Wisconsin Republican, who chairs the Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee on Europe and Regional Security Cooperation, has led and co-sponsored legislation to get tough on Russia for its actions in Ukraine, but voted against keeping some sanctions on Russia earlier this year.
In 2015, Russia also banned several members of Congress including Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), who was then chairman of the Armed Services Committee, from entering the country, after he supported sanctions against the country for invading Crimea.
The denial of visas to the senators highlights an ongoing conflict between members of the Senate and the White House when it comes the United States’ relationship with Russia.
Trump said on Monday that his “inclination is to say yes, [Russia] should be in” the G-7, again rattling U.S. beliefs that the country should remain on the sidelines of the international groups. Trump said there were discussions in France about the matter and said that he found agreement that “having them inside the room is better than having them outside the room.”
In the letter to the president, Schumer (D-N.Y.) and other Democratic leaders argued that was misguided because “Russia does not currently possess the democratic institutions nor the economic capacity to rejoin the group.”
The Democrats argued that since that expulsion, Russia has done little to prove it’s worth by meddling in U.S. elections, supporting the states of Syria and Venezuela and stifling political debate in Russia.
“For these reasons, under no circumstances should President Putin be invited to participate in the G-7 until the Russian government undertakes demonstrable actions to show its willingness to behave responsibly both domestically and abroad,” they wrote. “Readmitting Putin’s Russia to the G-7 would be contrary to our values and a clear abdication of the United States’ responsibilities as the world’s leading democracy.”
The letter was also signed by Sens. Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), and Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), who lead Democrats on key national security committees.
Article originally published on POLITICO Magazine