As of May 12, the U.S. Embassy in Moscow will offer emergency services and life-and-death emergency visa services for U.S. citizens only.
This means that Russians who are neither diplomats nor green card applicants will no longer be able to apply for visas within their own country to travel to the United States for tourism or other purposes. If necessary, they will have to file such applications in a third country.
The U.S. Embassy in Russia said in a statement Friday (April 30) that it has been forced to reduce its consular staff by 75 percent because the Russian government has banned the hiring of foreigners at its embassies and consulates.
The U.S. Embassy warned that emergency services to U.S. citizens in Russia may also be delayed or limited due to restrictions on the ability of staff to travel outside of Moscow.
The agency warned that it could not answer any specific questions about Russian residency or visas and strongly urged any U.S. citizens in Russia with expired visas to leave the country by the June 15 deadline set by the Russian government.
The U.S. Embassy said:- “We regret that the Russian government’s actions have forced us to reduce our consular staff by 75 percent and will work to provide as much service as possible to U.S. citizens.”
The embassy noted that non-immigrant visas for non-diplomatic travel will be discontinued for the foreseeable future, and that it will stop providing regular notary services, consular reports of births abroad or passport renewals.
Russia’s move is in retaliation for U.S. sanctions against Russia. The U.S. has accused Russia of interfering in the 2020 U.S. presidential election and participating in the Sunwind hacking of federal agencies. Russia has denied the allegations.
In response, the Russian Foreign Ministry noted that the Russian consulate in the U.S. will issue visas within 10 days despite the cuts Russia has suffered in U.S. diplomatic affairs, and said there is nothing stopping Washington from supplementing its staff by bringing in U.S. citizens.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said the U.S. diplomatic staff quota in Russia is 455, but only 280 are posted, giving Washington plenty of room to increase the number of personnel.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the Russian embassy’s decision would have little practical impact because Russians have been struggling to obtain U.S. visas.
Peskov told reporters:You know, we have to look at the root of the tensions developing in our bilateral relations.”
“If you untie the knot of this unfriendly step in the opposite direction, then it is clear that the prelude to all this is the unfriendly actions of the United States.”
He said Russia “has better expectations” of Biden’s first 100 days as U.S. president.
He welcomed the move to extend the new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty. “But that positive baggage remains small compared to the negativity we have accumulated in these 100 days. Unfortunately, that burden has prevailed.”
Moscow and Washington have long disagreed on a range of issues, but relations deteriorated further after U.S. President Joe Biden said he believes Russian President Vladimir Putin is a “killer.”
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov recently said Russia’s relationship with the United States is worse than it was during the Cold War.
During the Cold War, tensions were very high and there were often dangerous crisis situations, but there was also mutual respect between the two sides,” Lavrov said in an interview with Russian state television. In my opinion, there is a lack of respect now.”
Biden addressed concerns about U.S.-Russian relations in a speech to Congress Wednesday night.
“With respect to Russia, I know some of you are concerned, but I have made it clear to President Putin that while we do not seek to escalate …… there will be consequences for their actions if they prove to be true, and they have proven to be true.”
The U.S. previously ordered the expulsion of 10 Russian diplomats, targeted dozens of companies and individuals and imposed new restrictions on Russia’s ability to borrow money. Russia quickly retaliated by ordering 10 U.S. diplomats to leave, blacklisting eight current and former U.S. officials, and tightening requirements for the operation of the U.S. Embassy.
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