US senators ask Biden to expel 300 Russian diplomats from America: this could lead to the closure of all consulates

US senators are proposing to expel 300 Russian diplomats due to differences in the embassy, ​​reports Reuters.

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US Democratic and Republican senators have called on President Joe Biden to expel 300 Russian diplomats from the United States unless Moscow issues new visas for Americans to represent Washington in Russia.

The proposal by the leaders of the Senate Foreign Relations and Intelligence Committees - Democrats Bob Menendez and Mark Warner and Republicans Jim Risch and Marco Rubio - would mark a sharp escalation in the ongoing dispute over embassy staffing amid tensions between Washington and Moscow.

In August, Russia banned the US embassy in Moscow from retaining or hiring employees from Russia or third countries, with the exception of guards, forcing the mission to fire 182 employees and dozens of contractors, the State Department said.

That means there are only about 100 American diplomats in Russia, compared to 400 Russian diplomats in the United States, senators said.

“This imbalance in the diplomatic mission is unacceptable.

Accordingly, Russia should issue enough visas to approach parity between the number of U.S. diplomats serving in Russia and the number of Russian diplomats serving in the United States,” the senators wrote in a letter to Biden.

According to them, if Moscow does not do this, Biden should expel 300 Russian diplomats from the United States.

Moscow reacted to the proposal of American senators to remove Russian diplomats, reports "Voice of America".

The Russian Foreign Ministry said that such a step would lead to the closure of American diplomatic facilities in Russia.

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If the proposal to remove 300 Russian diplomats from the United States is implemented, it will lead to the closure of American diplomatic facilities in Russia, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

On Tuesday, a bipartisan senatorial group called on President Joe Biden to expel Russian diplomats if Moscow does not issue new visas so that Washington can expand its diplomatic staff in Russia.

“Whoever proposes such steps, apparently, is seeking the closure of American missions abroad in Russia. They must realize that the responsibility for this will lie with them, ”the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

The department also noted that Moscow does not have such a number of diplomats in Washington and that the proposal, apparently, applies to diplomatic personnel in the Russian mission to the UN.

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The senators recalled that on August 1, 2021, Russia imposed a ban on the work of Russian citizens at the American Embassy, ​​which jeopardized the day-to-day operations of the US Embassy in Moscow and the Department of State's ability to meet the consular needs of Americans in Russia.

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