Moscow is obstructing the work of American diplomats, but this will not change Washington’s intention to maintain diplomatic ties, said on Wednesday, February 23, the head of the press service of the US State Department, Ned Price, on briefing.
“Where shall we go now? Moscow needs to show that it takes diplomacy seriously. Russia’s actions over the past 48 hours have shown the opposite. If Moscow’s approach changes, we are still ready to cooperate. We remain open to diplomacy,” he said.
Price added that the Russian Federation unnecessarily exacerbates the situation with respect to the personnel of the American diplomatic mission in Moscow. He noted the importance of communication and information exchange “in times of crisis.”
The representative of the State Department spoke about the American diplomats from the Ukrainian diplomatic mission. They will continue to work in Lvov during the day and leave for Poland at night.
“There is reason to believe that they will continue to work as long as the security situation allows,” he said.
On February 18, Moscow announced its readiness to take retaliatory measures in the event of the expulsion of Russian diplomats from Washington. The official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, noted that the “visa war” and the shortage of personnel in the Russian diplomatic mission were provoked by the Americans, while Russia only reacts to the actions of opponents.
Russian-American relations went on a new round of aggravation after the United States imposed new sanctions on Russia on April 15, 2021. On the same day, it became known about the expulsion of 10 employees of the Russian diplomatic mission in Washington. On April 16, Moscow introduced retaliatory countermeasures.
On April 30, the US Embassy in Russia announced that it would stop issuing non-immigrant visas and visas for non-diplomatic travel. Also, the American diplomatic mission announced a reduction in the number of consular services from May 12, 2021 due to Moscow’s decision to ban the hiring of foreigners. In addition, the staff of the consulate will be reduced by 75%.
Source: IZ
Jane Stock is a technology author, who has written for 24 Hours World. She writes about the latest in technology news and trends, and is always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to improve his audience’s experience.
