Lavrov called the situation with Russian diplomatic property in the US ‘robbery in broad daylight’
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov called the situation surrounding the seized residences of the Russian Foreign Ministry in the United States a "daylight robbery," TASS reports.
The head of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs called the American officials, who said that Russian diplomatic property would be returned only in exchange for certain actions, highway robbers. "Regarding the essence of what you have quoted, if it is true, then this is a daylight robbery," Lavrov said.
"Decent and well-mannered people do not behave like that," he added.
Earlier, the Kremlin said the conditions provided for the return of the Russian diplomatic property are "unacceptable.” U.S. authorities agreed to return the closed residences of Russian diplomats only if the see Russia's "desire" to maintain a ceasefire in Syria. The First Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council Committee on Foreign Affairs, Vladimir Jabarov, earlier referred to such statements as "blackmail" and added that they had "agreed on Syria" before.
In December 2016, U.S. authorities expelled 35 Russian diplomats and closed Russian diplomatic missions in New York and Maryland. The justification for these actions was an attack on American diplomats in Moscow.
In early July, the media reported the possibility of the seizure of American diplomatic property in Moscow – a dacha in Serebryany Bor, a warehouse, and even the residence of the American ambassador at Spaso House. The Press Secretary for the Russian President, Dmitry Peskov, noted that Moscow's patience "is running out."