Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov says he cannot forgive the fact that the US has refused entry to Russian journalists who were supposed to cover his meetings at the UN.

Russia took over the chairmanship of the Security Council in April, despite the war that is waging in Ukraine. Foreign Minister Lavrov will lead several meetings this week.

The US has refused entry to Russian journalists, which has created Lavrovs anger.

We will not forget and we will not forgive, Lavrov said on Sunday. He strongly distanced himself from the American decision, which he described as idiotic.

He continues:

A country that calls itself the strongest, smartest, freest and fairest is cowardly, Lavrov said. He added that this shows the value of American assurances of free speech.

He does not touch on his own country’s practice in this context.

Since the start of the war in Ukraine, the Russian authorities have greatly tightened the requirements for obtaining accreditation as a foreign journalist in Moscow.

Deputy Foreign Minister Sergej Ryabkov says that a further tightening is on the way.

In Russia today there is no free press, the media are more or less subject to the Kremlin regime. All opposing voices are silenced and sentenced to long prison terms, with media critical of the regime have fleeing abroad.

Recently, the American journalist Evan Gershkovich (Wall Street Journal) was arrested in Moscow and charged with espionage. Both the Wall Street Journal and the United States reject the accusation os espionage as completely false, the Russians have not provided any evidence.

American authorities and a wide range of press organisations are demanding his release.

This is the situation that Sergei Lavrov complains about and the reason the US does not want to let in Russian journalists.