Russia announced a mirrored exile of ten American diplomats in response to a similar move by the United States. This was announced on Friday, April 16, by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov during a press conference.
“Ten diplomats were included in the list that was given to us, asking them to leave the United States. We will respond to this measure in a mirror image. We will also offer ten US diplomats in Russia to leave our country, ”the minister said.
In addition, according to Lavrov, Russia may ask the American side to reduce the number of diplomats on the territory of the Russian Federation by 150 people.
The head of the department also announced the publication by the department of a list of eight American officials who will be included in the sanctions list of Moscow. They will be banned from entering Russia on an indefinite basis. This will be a retaliatory measure for Washington’s inclusion in the sanctions list of eight representatives of the leadership of various structures of the Russian Federation, including the Presidential Administration and the General Prosecutor’s Office.
On April 15, it became known about the expulsion of 10 employees of the Russian diplomatic mission in Washington.
On the same day, US President Joe Biden signed a decree on the introduction of new anti-Russian sanctions.
The restrictions affected 32 legal entities and individuals from Russia, who, according to the administration of the American president, “made attempts to influence the US presidential elections in 2020, as well as other acts of disinformation and interference.”
The Russian Foreign Ministry announced that Moscow would resolutely respond to the new sanctions imposed by Washington. The department added that the sanctions course of the American side does not meet the interests of the peoples of the two states.