MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Andrei Klimov, the head of the commission on state sovereignty protection of the Russian Federation Council, was responding to the US Embassy's announcement stating that nonimmigrant visa processing would be suspended on August 23.
"This is of course a demarche. We cannot stay in debt. Everything here is obviously going to be mirrored," Klimov said.
The Russian Foreign Ministry on July 28 suspended the use of all US Embassy warehouses and its compound in Moscow and also offered the US to cut down the number of its diplomatic staff in Russia to 455 people by September 1. The move came amid a new US anti-Russia sanctions bill and follows a series of restriction measures imposed by Washington since 2014. It is similar to Washington's decision to expel 35 Russian diplomats and suspend the use of diplomatic assets by Moscow in late 2016.
On July 30, Russian President Vladimir Putin said the US would have to cut its diplomatic presence by 755 people.
