"We regret the decision by the government of Russia to cancel Russia's participation in the Future Leaders Exchange or FLEX program," State Department spokeswoman Jennifer Psaki said at a daily news briefing.
The program brings high school students from former Soviet countries to the United States for one year, during which they live with American host families, attend high schools and experience community life.
"It was the largest US-Russia cultural exchange program, and over the past 21 years, more than 8,000 Russian students have participated," Psaki said.
Moscow on Wednesday decided to halt the program, as the Kremlin accused the US of encouraging a student to stay behind under the guardianship of a gay couple and therefore bypassing a Russian law banning adoption by gay parents.
"The FLEX program was vital in building those kinds of bonds between young Russians and Americans that we need in order to overcome challenges in our bilateral relations," Psaki said.
US-Russia ties have hit an all-time low over their stand-off over the Ukrainian crisis, with Washington and its European allies having slapped rounds of sanctions on Moscow.
Sources: Xinhua - globaltimes.cn
2/10/14
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