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We, as Russian-Americans, are deeply affected by the recent rounds of sanctions. We can no longer rely on
consulates in San Francisco and in Seattle for routine consular services. Many of us now have to fly across the
country to get an appointment at the Russian Consulate in New York or Washington, D.C. for visas to visit
family in Russia. We can no longer invite our relatives to visit us because more visa applications from Russia
are being rejected than ever before. The closure of the consulates and the expulsion of the diplomats have
worsened our lives. And yet almost 90 percent of Russian-Americans voted for you in the hope that you would
restore relations with Russia and lift the sanctions. Today, it appears that you are backing away from your
campaign pledge to improve the bilateral relationship.
We do not support the present course of Russian-American relations. It cannot lead to anything good. It has
become a serious obstacle to constructive dialogue. Moreover, this odious rhetoric against Russia breeds hatred
toward all Russians. Five million Russian-Americans living in this country have to bear the brunt of the
consequences of these reckless words and actions. Russian-Americans have come to face serious discrimination...
CONGRESS OF RUSSIAN AMERICANS, INC. - кто их знает?
The Congress of Russian Americans, Inc. (CRA) founded in 1973, by a group of concerned Russian Americans, is a national organization with membership throughout the United States. Its members are US citizens and permanent residents of Russian descent who are non-Communist in their beliefs. The personal and social lives of most members are firmly rooted in religious Christian Orthodox values which reject all racial, nationalistic, ethnic, or religious antagonism.