Russia may ask the Americans to reduce diplomatic staff levels by 150 in order to meet the number of Russians working for the embassy and consulates in the United States, if the two countries continue exchanging blows, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Friday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 16th April, 2021) Russia may ask the Americans to reduce diplomatic staff levels by 150 in order to meet the number of Russians working for the embassy and consulates in the United States, if the two countries continue exchanging blows, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Friday.
The Biden administration slapped Russia with a fresh round of sanctions on Thursday, including the expulsion of 10 Russian diplomats from Washington. Russia said the move hurt the interests of both nations and warranted a swift response.
"If our exchange of courtesies continues we will ask the Americans to bring the number of their diplomats who deal with bilateral issues in Russia in line with the number of our employees in the embassy and the two consulates general," Lavrov said.
He estimated that Russia hired some 300 staffers to service the embassy and the consulates, while another 150 diplomatic staffers worked at the Russian mission to the United Nations in New York, while the US employed 450 diplomats to work at the Moscow embassy and consulates.
