Lavrov promises response to closure of Russian consulate in United States
In a telephone conversation with U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Moscow will react to the closure of the Russian consulate in San Francisco and two other diplomatic facilities, as reported on the Russian Foreign Ministry’s website.
“The Minister expressed regret at the escalation of tension in bilateral relations, which was not initiated by us, and pointed out that Moscow will carefully study the new measures announced by the Americans, after which we will make known the actions that we will take,” the report stated.
It was reported that U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson specifically called Lavrov to inform him of additional restrictions regarding the activities of Russian diplomatic missions in the United States.
Earlier, the U.S. State Department announced the closure of the Russian Consulate in San Francisco as well as two diplomatic sites in Washington and New York.
The U.S. State Department explained that this move was made in response to the Kremlin’s demand to reduce American diplomatic personnel in Russia.
Additionally, the United States will no longer issue visas to citizens of Belarus in Russia. In order for Belarusians to get a visa, it is recommended that they go to Kyiv, Warsaw or Vilnius.
In July, Russia announced sanctions against U.S. diplomats. Russia demanded that the United States reduce the number of diplomatic employees to 455 by early autumn.
Also, the U.S. Embassy can no longer use storage facilities on Dorozhnaya Street in Moscow and a summer house in Silver Forest.