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Kremlin slams move to strip Russian embassy of right to US facilities as raider seizure

Moscow will consider a response, according to the Russian presidential aide

MOSCOW, September 1. /TASS/. Russian Presidential Aide Yuri Ushakov has castigated the decision to strip the Russian embassy in the United States of the right to use six facilities in US (including five enjoying diplomatic immunity) as raider seizure.

"The Americans are taking away properties again and closing down general consulates. In other words, the Americans have taken away five facilities that were our property. Five of them enjoyed diplomatic immunity. The office of the trade mission in New York that we leased was another one. In all, they took away six facilities - the five we owned and another one we leased. It’s a raider seizure. We’ll think over to how we’ll respond," Ushakov said. 

He recalled that the United States on Thursday reduced the number of points of entry and was cutting the list of personnel allowed to travel farther than 25 miles away from the embassy in Washington.

"They do not only take properties away but also hinder the operation of our embassy and diplomatic offices. We will consider a response. At the same time it is very undesirable to have a clash, because somebody should display common sense and put an end to the grave condition of our bilateral relations," Ushakov said.

Russia regrets US administration’s steps to damage relations

US administration continues to damage bilateral relations with Russia paying no attention to the possible consequences, according to Ushakov.

"The US administration continues to damage bilateral relations, presumably with no regard to consequences not only for our countries, but for the global security as well," Ushakov said. "It can only cause regret and disappointment," the Russian presidential aide noted.

According to him, such actions only deepen the deadlock in bilateral ties. Besides, in Ushakov’s words, they run contrary to the high-level statements about Washington’s readiness to normalize relations.

"It means that tensions in bilateral ties will rise further. We regret it and we are going to calmly consider our response," Ushakov added.