MOSCOW, April 29. /TASS/. The exact number of Russian school students remaining in the USA has not be determined, so the Russian Embassy in Washington continues the search for those children to help those who wish to return home, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said during a press briefing on Wednesday.
"Our embassy continues the search for children remaining in the USA," she said. "We have not finished our job, and we cannot finish it until we know the exact number of school students that could remain on US territory," the diplomat said.
She noted that all students detected by Russian diplomats had either returned home or had decided to remain in the country until their US visa expires.
"So far, we can say that about 40 children have returned to Russia so far," Zakharova said. She reminded that today, 19 students returned to Russia on a flight from New York.
"Some have decided to stay on US territory until their planned return in May-June on agreement with their parents, taking into account that they arrived from Russian regions," the spokeswoman explained. "No one convinced anyone to make a certain decision: to stay or to leave. We have made decisions depending on each specific case, judging which will be best for each child, taking into account the existing conditions," she added.
Last week, Zakharova stated that Russia would make its conclusions on the insufficient aid of the US government in the search of Russian school students remaining in the USA. She noted that US officials are distancing themselves from this issue, ignoring the requests of the Russian embassy. Since last autumn, about 80 Russian students are reported to have traveled to the USA, the diplomat stated.