Russian Opposition to Congressmen’s Decisions Unsuccessful

Russian Federation Council members’ visit to the United States Congress was a failure, according to U.S. media sources: Congressmen wouldn’t listen to their Russian colleagues’ arguments or acknowledge the pointlessness of passing the “Magnitsky Bill.” The two countries hold polar opposite positions on the issue, experts say, and no one plans to compromise.

Within U.S. Congress, the Russian Federation Council members’ visit was described as “laughable,” and viewed as a “stupid lie.” Reuters news agency cites similar quotes.* Russian senators visited the U.S. to persuade their American colleagues not to pass the “Magnitsky Bill.” The bill prohibits some ten or so Russian officials from entering the U.S. and bars them from holding assets in the states. “Kommersant FM” U.S. correspondent Natalia Suvorova reported that the visit can be considered a failure.

“Delegates consisting of four members of the Federation Council offered results from their own investigation, which states that Sergei Magnitsky was legally arrested, and what’s more, the lawyer was an accomplice in embezzling more than five billion rubles from the Russian budget. One of the bill’s main sponsors in the U.S. Congress, Senator Ben Cardin, refused to meet with Russian representatives. He didn’t even want to hear out their arguments. Senator Vitaly Malkin said Russia really doesn’t want the U.S. Congress to adopt the bill because it may deteriorate U.S.-Russian relations for years or even for decades to come. American media sources are skeptical on the matter. I wouldn’t say anyone believes the Russian delegates’ trip could seriously influence Congress’s decision,” Suvorova said.

Fyodor Lukyanov, editor-in-chief of journal “Russia in Global Affairs,” believes the bill’s passing will bring a loss in image for Russia.

“The congressmen or senators are making some decisions geared toward their own voters, who are critical of Russia. There are many such people in America and, if for that reason alone, there exists a large group of emigrants from Eastern Europe who are consistently anti-Russian. There is nothing to oppose them. Concerning an economic lobby, meaning those businesses that would have critically important interests in Russia and concern for protecting those interests, the volume of trade between Russia and the U.S., investment volume, is becoming an insignificant amount,” Lukyanov said.

“Kommersant” publishing house columnist Sergei Strokan believes that the Russian senators' visit further complicated the situation.

“I don’t see any kind of big result here; there are enough people in America who demonize Russia. You know the kinds of people we have here who are governed by anti-American hysteria. Especially when an exchange of emotions occurs, substantial dialogue is replaced, and discussion proceeds with symmetrical answers: We are this to you, you are this to us. This negativity flows out like peas from a sack full of holes. The “reset” is taking place right now, a zone of turbulence. This is actually all serious and, similarly, we could be forced backward,” Strokan said.

Next week the bill will be discussed in the Senate Finance Committee. Its chairman Max Baucus announced the U.S. should maintain leverage over the Russian elite.


*Editor's note: the original quotation, accurately translated, could not be verified.