Russia accuses U.S. of seizing its diplomatic facilities
In a statement posted on the Russian Foreign Ministry’s website on Sunday , Russia has accused the U.S. of seizing its Consulate-General in San Francisco and a trade mission in Washington.
“On September 2, U.S. authorities seized buildings of the Russian Consulate-General in San Francisco and a trade mission in Washington, which are Russian property and have diplomatic immunity. Russian representatives were also denied access to the leased premises of a trade mission in New York,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
The Russian Foreign Ministry called these actions an “openly hostile act” and a “gross violation of international law by Washington.”
“We call on the American authorities to come to their senses and immediately return the Russian diplomatic facilities. Otherwise, the U.S. will be to blame for the continuing deterioration of relations between our countries,” Russian diplomats said.
Recently, the U.S. State Department announced the closing of the Consulate-General of Russia in San Francisco as well as two diplomatic sites in Washington and New York.
Afterwards, the United States conducted searches in the buildings of the Consulate-General in San Francisco and the Russian trade mission in Washington. As a result Russia, filed an official protest against the U.S.
All three facilities are now under U.S. control.