WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 06th October, 2021) A bipartisan group of US Senators on Tuesday sent a letter to President Joe Biden urging him to expel 300 Russian diplomats in the United States if Moscow does not allow equal US diplomatic presence in Russia.
"Russia must issue enough visas to approach parity between the number of American diplomats serving in Russia and the number of Russian diplomats serving in the United States," the lawmakers said in the letter. "If such action is not taken, we urge you to begin expelling Russian diplomats, to bring the US diplomatic presence to parity."
The letter noted that there are more than 400 Russian diplomats in the United States and some 100 US diplomats in Russia.
The letter was signed by prominent US Senators overseeing foreign policy, including Democratic Senators Bob Menendez, Jim Risch, Mark Warner and also Republican Senator Marco Rubio.
The senators said the issue presents a substantial national security risk to the United States and jeopardizes daily operations at the US embassy in Moscow.
In August, Russia banned the US embassy from hiring local staff and third-country nationals as part of a wave of tit-for-tat sanctions with the United States. The US State Department said it had laid off hundreds of employees across US diplomatic facilities in Russia as a result of the ban.
The US government had previously ordered 10 Russian diplomats out of the United States and closed the Russian consulates general in San Francisco and Seattle while reducing the number of staff the consulate general in Houston.
