Russia has declared ten US diplomats persona non grata, they must leave the country by May 21.

This is stated in the statement of the Russian Foreign Ministry.

The department clarified that on April 21, the deputy head of the US diplomatic mission in the Russian Federation, Bart Gorman, was summoned to the ministry, to whom the corresponding note was presented.

"This measure is a" mirror "response to the hostile actions of the American side against a number of employees of the Russian Embassy in Washington and the Russian Consulate General in New York, who were unreasonably declared persona non grata," the Foreign Ministry stressed.

The Foreign Ministry added that in the near future further steps will follow within the announced set of responses to the latest "wave" of illegal US anti-Russian sanctions.

We will remind, on April 15, US President Joe Biden signed a decree on new sanctions against Russia.

According to the document, restrictive measures were imposed on 32 Russian individuals and legal entities and six technology companies for allegedly trying to influence the US presidential election in 2020.

In addition, five more individuals and three Russian organizations came under sanctions in connection with the reunification of Crimea with Russia.

Also, the United States announced the expulsion of ten members of the Russian diplomatic mission in Washington.

In addition, the United States prohibited its banks and other financial institutions from directly purchasing bonds issued by the Bank of Russia, the National Wealth Fund (NWF) or the Russian Ministry of Finance after June 14, 2021.

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After that, the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, announced that the US Ambassador to Moscow, John Sullivan, had been summoned to the ministry, and also stressed that the responsibility for the deterioration of relations lies entirely with the United States.

“The response to the sanctions will be inevitable.

Washington must realize that the degradation of bilateral relations will have to be paid for, ”said the representative of the foreign ministry.

On April 16, the Foreign Ministry reported on retaliatory measures to the actions of the United States.

Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that ten American diplomats will be asked to leave the territory of Russia, and eight more high-ranking officials will be included in the reciprocal sanctions list.

In addition, the Foreign Ministry announced the limitation of the practice of using the US Embassy of short-term seconded by the State Department to ensure the functioning of diplomatic missions - according to the new rules, up to 10 such visas will be issued a year on a reciprocal basis.

The department also stopped the practice of hiring Russian citizens by American diplomatic missions as administrative and technical workers. 

In addition, the Foreign Ministry announced the termination of the 1992 bilateral Memorandum of Understanding regarding the "open land", which implies the suspension of the activities in Russia of American funds and NGOs controlled by the State Department and other American state structures. 

At the same time, Presidential Aide Yuri Ushakov recommended that US Ambassador John Sullivan return to Washington for consultations.

Recall that Russian Ambassador Anatoly Antonov has been in Moscow since March, where he is also holding consultations on the state of relations between Moscow and Washington.

As the Foreign Ministry stressed, Washington's rhetoric shows that the United States does not value the restraint shown by Moscow, despite the degree of tension between the states.

"These steps are only a part of the possibilities at our disposal," the department warned.

On April 20, the press secretary of the Russian leader Dmitry Peskov said that the ambassadors of Russia and the United States would be able to return to work in their diplomatic missions when it would be appropriate for the development of bilateral relations.

“We see that relations are now at their lowest point.

There are certain consequences of the unfriendly measures that were taken against our country.

There are measures that are being implemented by our country in response, ”explained Peskov. 

Peskov said that with regard to the Russian ambassador, the decision will be made by the Russian president.

The Kremlin spokesman added that the recommendations to go for consultations to Washington, voiced by Yuri Ushakov at a meeting with John Sullivan, do not go beyond the Vienna Convention.

“Russia acts in strict accordance with the letter and spirit of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.

Of course, Russia cannot send an ambassador for consultations, Russia can recommend this.

This is not disputed by anyone, ”TASS quotes him.