The Foreign Ministry decided to reduce the number of American diplomats in Russia

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov announced the equalization of working conditions for diplomats from Russia and the United States in these countries, TASS reports .

“We are now considering the conditions under which American foreign agencies operate in Russia and Russian ones in the United States, and we will bring these conditions into full compliance with parity,” the minister said.

According to him, Russia, demanding that the United States bring the diplomatic presence on Russian territory into line with the number of diplomats from Russia on American territory, “included in this ceiling everyone who works in the Russian Permanent Mission to the UN.”

“The United States “pocketed” this kind gesture of ours and said: “The Russians want parity, then let them close one of the four consulates general, because we have only three consulates general in Russia,” Lavrov continued.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said earlier in September that Moscow was still considering such action. According to the head of state’s calculations, for equal conditions, not 455, but 155 fewer American diplomats should work in Russia. He emphasized that Moscow intends to sue over the closure of three Russian diplomatic institutions in the United States.

In the summer, US President Donald Trump signed a new law on sanctions against Russia, Russian authorities limited the American diplomatic mission, and three diplomatic offices in the US were closed, including the consulate in San Francisco. All consulates in Russia except Moscow have been closed, and the United States has canceled scheduled interviews with visa candidates.