MOSCOW, March 22. /TASS/. Moscow is not interested in a mutual closure of diplomatic missions with the United States as these channels of communication are important in the current situation, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov told Rossiya-1’s 60 Minutes show on Tuesday.

"We don’t want diplomatic missions to be closed. We believe that in the current situation, such channels of communication are important though we have no illusions," he pointed out.

In response to Washington’s sanctions and more expulsions of Russian diplomats, Moscow banned the US embassy from hiring Russian and third country citizens. The US embassy said later that it would reduce the range of consular services, including considering visa applications other than those for diplomatic trips. Since August 1, 2021, the US Embassy in Moscow has been operating with only 120 employees, its lowest number in five years.