RUSSIA said on Sunday that the United States has denied visas to journalists who wanted to cover Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov’s trip to New York and suggested it would take strong retaliatory measures.

There was no immediate comment from the US State Department about the refused visas. The journalists aimed to cover Mr Lavrov’s appearance at the United Nations to mark Russia’s chairmanship of the security council.

“A country that calls itself the strongest, smartest, free and fair country has chickened out and done something stupid by showing what it’s sworn assurances about protecting freedom of speech and access to information are really worth,” Mr Lavrov said before leaving Moscow on Sunday.

“Be sure that we will not forget and will not forgive,” he said.

“I emphasise that we will find ways to respond to this, so that the US will remember for a long time not to do this,” deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov said.

Tensions with Washington are high over the arrest last month of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, whom Russia accuses of espionage. 

The US has declared him to be “wrongfully detained.”

Russia currently requires foreign journalists to renew their visas and accreditation every three months.