Russia offers US sanction roll back to remove diplomatic hurdles

In a diplomatic extension, Russia placed an offer to the United States to roll back multiple sanctions between the two countries that have strained various diplomatic missions. A round of bilateral dialogue was also offered.

Two top diplomatic officials of United States and Russia met in Moscow as part of a three-day trip to engage in dialogue addressing regional and global issues. Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov met with America’s Undersecretary of State Victoria Nuland, according to reports from Associated Press.

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However, in a statement, the Russian official said that no progress was made between the two country representatives while discussing the normalisation of diplomatic missions. He also added that the situation could snowball further.

Russia’s foreign ministry reiterated the country’s willingness to respond to any unfriendly action taken by the United States.

The statement read, “Any hostile anti-Russian action won’t be left unanswered, but Moscow doesn’t want any further escalation”, according to reports from Associated Press.

It added, “We are offering to lift all the restrictions imposed by both parties over the past few years.”

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It warned that the continuation of the “confrontational” US policy toward Russia would further worsen ties and suggested taking a “realistic approach on the basis of equality and taking mutual interests into account.”

Russia and the United States exchanged several rounds of diplomats expulsions and took other steps restricting the activities of their respective diplomatic missions over the past years as relations between Moscow and Washington sank to post-Cold War lows over Russia’s 2014 annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula, its interference in United States Presidental elections, its hacking attacks and other irritants, according to reports from Associated Press.

As part of trading diplomatic blows, Russia banned the United States Embassy from hiring local residents. The Embassy said the move forced it to reduce its consular workforce by 75% and cut most American citizen services as well as non-immigrant visa processing for non-diplomatic travel.

(With AP inputs)