Sergei Ryabkov
Deputy Minister of foreign Affairs of Russia Sergey Ryabkov in an interview to the newspaper “Kommersant” stated about preventing any linkage between the issue of the return of the Russian diplomatic property in the United States, and demanded from Washington the withdrawal of arrest with the Russian Embassy site in the country.
“As for the Russian departmenet, we rule out any linkage of this issue with talking on the allocation of land for the construction of a new US Consulate General in St. Petersburg. The Americans arbitrarily, without any motives, reasons and grounds seized our departmenst and exactly the same, without any additional bells and whistles, add-ons, and other side dishes should we get her back,” said Ryabkov.
He added that we are talking about Russian property, so Washington needs to get her back, “absolutely, unequivocally and without any additional requirements.”
Earlier on July 18, Ryabkov at a meeting with the senior Deputy Secretary of state Thomas Shannon said that Russia reserves the right to retaliate in case of further blocking of its departmenet in the United States.
On Monday, the press Secretary of the President of Russia Dmitry Peskov said that Washington needs to return the real estate, without Moscow, no conditions. He commented on the statement of a senior official of the White house that the American authorities will demand “something in return”.
The outgoing administration of U.S. President Barack Obama at the end of December 2016 closed Russian depravation access to two residential complexes, the so — called suburban dachas of Russia’s permanent mission in new York and the Russian Embassy in Washington.