The Russian Federation accused the US of seizing the buildings of the Russian Consulate General in San Francisco and a Trade Mission in Washington. This is stated in a message posted on the website of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
"On September 2, the US authorities seized the buildings of the Russian Consulate General in San Francisco and the Trade Mission in Washington, which are in Russian ownership and possess diplomatic immunity. Russian representatives also banned of access to the leased premises of the branch of the trade mission in New York. This outrageous step follows the actual expropriation in December of last year of Russian-owned suburban diplomatic complexes near Washington and New York. The occupied buildings are now run by the US special services with the support of the armed police," the report says.
The department stressed that the Russian side regards the incident as a "frankly hostile act" and a gross violation of international law by Washington, including the Vienna Conventions on diplomatic and consular relations, and the bilateral Consular Convention.
"We urge the American authorities to come to their senses and immediately return Russian diplomatic facilities, otherwise the United States will be blamed for the continuing degradation of relations between our countries, on which the state of global stability and international security largely depends," the report concludes.
