Saturday, 30 October 2021 (YJC)_ A Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman said Washington had demanded the departure of 55 diplomats and administrative and technical staff from the Russian embassy and consulate.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Washington had made requests for the departure of 55 diplomats and administrative and technical staff of the Russian embassy and consulate in the United States in the coming months.
The Russian diplomat said in a statement:
The situation on the diplomatic front will worsen, given the demands made by Washington that 55 more diplomats and our administrative and technical staff should leave the United States in the coming months (which basically means deportation).
He added that about 130 Americans work in Washington's diplomatic missions in Russia, while less than 200 Russians work in the Russian embassy in Washington and two consulates in New York and Houston.
In August, the Russian embassy in the United States received a list of 24 diplomats who were due to leave the United States by September 3, according to Russia's Sputnik news agency. In addition, US officials revoked the valid visas of the spouses and children of Russian diplomats without explanation.
On April 15, US President Joe Biden signed a decree imposing sanctions on 32 individuals and Russian companies. Washington has also announced that it will expel 10 Russian diplomats.
In late April, the US Embassy in Russia announced that from May 12, it would provide consular services only to a limited number of American citizens.
Earlier, in the wake of diplomatic tensions in Washington and Moscow, a number of US senators called for the expulsion of more Russian diplomats.
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