"Today, a lot of Russian people came to me — who live here or in nearby cities due to various reasons — who experience big difficulties in consular services," Antonov said on Monday. "I want to affirm everyone that we will be doing consular visits here more often to make it easier for Russian people to live here."
He added that the first consular visit will take place "within one month."
READ MORE: Russia Reaffirms Readiness for Mutually-Beneficial Dialogue With US — Antonov
Washington’s decision came after Moscow announced that the diplomatic presence of the United States in Russia would be scaled down by 755 people to 455, the same number of diplomatic personnel Russia has in the United States, following US expulsion of 35 Russian diplomats.
In March, the United States also closed the Russian Consulate in Seattle over allegations of Moscow's involvement in the poisoning of former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal in the United Kingdom, though the Kremlin firmly denied the allegation. The move left Russian residents on the US West Coast with no diplomatic facilities nearby.
