I think there are some discussions with the EU about it too.
This must happen, it's a disgrace that we can't travel freely within Europe 20 years after the cold war.

The visa regime is totally pointless in my opinion. Scumbags from Russia and the other CIS countries who want to be in Europe are already there, so visa requirements will not stop them. Not even the USSR borders could keep them out, in fact.
And nobody from Europe would be stupid enough to go to Russia and commit crimes or try to live on social welfare, so there is not much for Russia to worry about on that front.

All that the visa regime does, is make travelling more expensive, time consuming and frustrating for NORMAL decent people who just want a holiday or want to experience another culture etc. It's not possible to travel spontaneously when visa processing is so complicated.

Europe has a lot to learn from Russia (and the other CIS countries) and vice versa. I think there is everything to win and practically nothing to lose by losening up this visa regime. I think it would help if the EU stopped constantly critisizing Russia and being generally paranoid about Russia's military. Let the Russians sort out their politics and internal problems themselves - the EU has plenty of its own issues to worry about! Greece, the Euro, immigration, the Belgian problem and Lord knows what else... In the meantime we can co operate in science, culture, education and industry.

I can't see what problems that losening the visa regime it would cause for the EU or Russia/ CIS to losen restrictions... Can anybody else think of anything?

As for the USA-Russia, I really don't know, but it's a longer journey and a bigger commitment since they there is an ocean to cross...

And think of the people in Kaliningrad, they are almost locked in, or people affected by the split up of the USSR, such as Russian speakers in the Baltic states.