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Updated October 28th, 2021 at 10:37 IST

US says embassy in Russia may stop performing most functions next year in row over visas

The US embassy in Moscow could stop performing most functions next year unless there is progress with Russia on increasing the number of visas for diplomats.

Reported by: Riya Baibhawi
US
Image: AP  | Image:self
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The US embassy in Moscow could stop performing most functions next year unless there is progress with Russia on increasing the number of visas for diplomats, a US official warned on Wednesday. Earlier this year, the Vladimir Putin administration barred the recruitment of locals to foreign embassies, thereby, forcing the US to divert most of its immigration functions to its embassy in Poland. This marks the latest jolt to the US-Russia relationship which has been mired in conflict regarding cyberspace, arms race inter alia.

In August, the Kremlin barred foreign embassies from hiring Russian or third country staff, coercing the US to lay off more than 200 locals at missions across the country. Highlighting the same, a senior American official said that because of the ban, American missions faced challenges in getting simple tasks done like closing and opening embassy gates. He further added that the White House was inclined to “make progress on the issue very soon”. 

"We're going to confront the situation – not next month, but sometime next year – where it's just difficult for us to continue with anything other than a caretaker presence at the embassy," the US official was quoted as saying by Associated Press. 

'Will do everything to retain functioning' 

Reckoning that the White House will do “everything humanly possible” to keep the mission in Russia functional, he said embassy functions will become tougher in absence of required staff. The American official also highlighted that there was more Russian presence in the US than vice versa. Notably, the staff at the American embassy plunged from 1,200 in 2017 to just 120 this year. On the flip side, Russia has 230 people in the US. 

Russians intending to apply for an immigrant visa to the United States must now go to the US Embassy in Warsaw, Poland, according to the US State Department. Notably, the distance between Warsaw and Moscow is approximately 1,200 kilometres. Russians have been added to the "list of homeless nationalities" by the US Department of State, which updated its Foreign Affairs Manual (FAM) on immigrant visas this week, according to RT News. This categorisation is normally designated for nations where the United States does not have a consular presence or where consular personnel are unable to utilise their visas.

(Image: AP) 

(With inputs from AP) 

 

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Published October 28th, 2021 at 10:37 IST

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