The Russian ambassador said about the ongoing threats of his deportation from the United States

Russian Ambassador Antonov says the United States has not given up on threats to deport him

In late January, Antonov said the State Department had threatened to deport him if Russia did not issue visas to US embassy staff. According to the ambassador, the situation has not changed since then.

Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov told reporters that Washington did not retract threats to deport him if Moscow did not provide visas for employees of American missions. This is reported “RIA News”.

“I reaffirm this American position. Indeed, the situation, as it was when I first spoke about it, is how it has remained today, ”he said.

On January 26, Antonov announced that the US State Department had raised the question of his departure from the country if Russia did not issue visas to the guards of the American ambassador in Moscow. The ambassador said that during his four years in Washington, more than 120 diplomats and embassy staff were expelled from the United States, and this trend is not changing.

Earlier, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov sent a message to UN Secretary General António Guterres demanding that proceedings be initiated due to visa problems with the United States. Russian Permanent Representative Vasily Nebenzya pointed out, for example, that the staff of the diplomatic mission cannot extend a visa after a short-term departure. With a similar request to the UN, the Russian side has already addressed in November last year.