MOSCOW, February 19. /TASS/. Russia addressed the issue of its diplomatic property located in the US during negotiations with the American delegation in Riyadh, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated.
“We handed over a list of issues which should be resolved with regard to the work of our diplomatic representatives. Among these problems is, of course, the property issue,” Russia’s top diplomat said at a media session following a plenary session of the State Duma.
Lavrov clarified that during the talks in Riyadh, the sides “did not talk about normalizing diplomatic relations – they are established.” “We talked about removing artificial obstacles which severely complicate the daily operation of our embassies and consulates general,” the minister explained. “Those are financing, attempts to restrict movement and limits on the number of diplomats allowed, and even efforts to cap the duration of their stay, none of which is stipulated by any international convention on diplomatic relations,” he recited.
On February 18, Russia and the US held talks in Riyadh, which lasted 4.5 hours. Russia was represented at the meeting by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, presidential aide Yury Ushakov and CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) Kirill Dmitriev. The US was represented by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, and the US leader’s special envoy for the Middle East Steven Witkoff. According to Ushakov, the delegations talked at length about everything on the agenda, including bringing the positions of Russia and the United States together and contacts on Ukraine. Lavrov called the conversation with US officials very constructive and reported that Russia and the United States had agreed to ensure the earliest possible appointment of ambassadors in both capitals.
Following the negotiations, Rubio said that Russia and the United States had agreed to restore their embassies in Moscow and Washington to previous staffing levels to facilitate continued diplomatic engagement. Staffing restrictions at the embassies started after 2014, when Washington adopted a policy of “systemic deterrence” toward Russia.
In 2017, the Russian Consulate General in San Francisco, the trade mission in Washington (both state-owned) and its branch in New York (rented premises) were closed due to anti-Russian sanctions. In 2018, Washington announced the closure of the Russian Consulate General in Seattle (rented premises), as well as the residence of the Consul General (diplomatic property). Russia reacted to the seizure of diplomatic property as an openly hostile act and called on the United States to immediately return these facilities.