US ambassador confirms Kuzmin's US visa cancelled, but he can apply for a new one

U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine John Tefft has confirmed that Ukrainian First Deputy Prosecutor General Renat Kuzmin's U.S. visa has been canceled. 

"I can confirm that his visa has been canceled, but there were no plans to arrest him," he told reporters in Kyiv on Monday.

Tefft said that the visa had been cancelled in line with U.S. legislation.

"Mr. Kuzmin knows the reason why he was denied a visa, but I cannot disclose this reason to you," he said.

When asked whether such steps by the U.S. side are related to the last resolution of the U.S. Congress, he said: "This cancelation of the visa does not concern the Congress decisions. These things are not related."

In addition, the U.S. diplomat said that Kuzmin could apply for a new U.S. visa, but he, like anyone else, should come in for an interview and explain the purpose of his trip to the United States.

As reported, Kuzmin, in a letter to U.S. President Barack Obama, said that on October 19, 2012, Tefft informed him about the cancelation of his five-year U.S. visa, without explaining the reasons for such a decision.