WASHINGTON, January 26. /TASS/. The US Department of State told Russian diplomats that the Russian ambassador would have to leave the country by April unless Moscow meets Washington’s conditions concerning visas for security guards of the US ambassador to Moscow, Russia’s Ambassador to the US Anatoly Antonov told reporters on Wednesday.

"There is no progress concerning neither diplomatic property nor issuance of visas, nor the development of relations. Therefore, strictly speaking, I can see only a deteriorating trend. Moreover, I will tell you that our employees were informed in clear terms at recent meetings in the Department of State that the Russian ambassador would have to leave the United States by April unless we meet some conditions of the United States on visas for security guards of the US ambassador in Moscow," the ambassador said.

Antonov stressed that "Everything that has been happening in recent months in this area justifies the fact that the United States is tightening its policy in regard to our presence."

In response to the anti-Russian sanctions announced by Washington in April and another expulsion of Russian diplomats, Moscow restricted the hiring of Russians and citizens of third countries by the US diplomatic missions. The US embassy in Moscow reported that from May 12 it would reduce the number of consular services, including suspending the consideration of documents for visas that are not intended for diplomatic travel. The issuance of diplomatic visas also slowed down visibly. Since August 1, the US embassy to Russia has been operating having 120 employees, the lowest number in five years. The Russian Foreign Ministry pointed out that the US embassy was not obstructed in filling the quota of 455 diplomats with employees from the United States.