Sullivan spoke about the problem with the issuance of Russian visas to American diplomats

“We cannot get visas for American diplomats to come to Russia.

And it was described as a visa deadlock, ”he said in an interview with RBC.

Sullivan explained that the United States can increase its diplomatic presence in Russia only if the Russian government grants visas to American diplomats.

“It's not as easy as saying 'send more diplomats.'

We can do this only if the Russian government gives visas to our diplomats, and we cannot get them, ”he added.

Earlier, the Russian ambassador to Washington, Anatoly Antonov, said that the United States was delaying the extension of visas for about 100 Russian diplomats.

On November 11, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said that he was concerned about the problem of non-issuance of US visas to diplomats from a number of countries, including Russia, and would continue to interact with Washington on this issue.

In October, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that the American side was deliberately destroying the system of consular services in Russia.