Moscow is considering cutting diplomatic ties with the United States if Washington seizes Russian assets frozen as a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said, as quoted by Reuters and Agerpres.
“We are ready for any scenario, and the US should have no illusions that Russia is holding on to diplomatic relations with this state with both hands,” Ryabkov said.
“Diplomatic relations in themselves are not a totem to worship, it is not a sacred cow that everyone cares about. But we will not take the initiative to break up,” Ryabkov insisted, because Moscow understands that “Russia and the United States play a central role in maintaining security and strategic stability.”
On the other hand, a representative of Russian diplomacy said that his country is ready to give a symmetrical response in the event of the US deployment of short- and medium-range missiles in Europe and the Asia-Pacific region. According to Serhiy Ryabkov, Russia is closely monitoring the development and potential deployment of American missiles and is ready to quickly make the necessary political decisions for an appropriate response.
Moscow warns of a break in diplomatic relations during new negotiations with the United States
Ryabkov added that Moscow and Washington remain in contact regarding a possible exchange of prisoners between the two sides. The spokesman of the National Security Council of the White House, John Kirby, said that the United States is preparing a new proposal for the release of two American citizens imprisoned in Russia – journalist Evan Hershkovich and former marine Paul Whelan.
Paul Whelan, who has been jailed for spying in Russia since 2018, said in an interview published by the BBC on Wednesday that he felt “abandoned” by the United States, which he accused of “treason” for not were able to return him to his homeland.
32-year-old American Wall Street Journal journalist Evan Hershkovich, who also worked for the France Presse agency in Moscow, was arrested by Russian special services while reporting in Yekaterinburg on March 29 this year.
The reporter is charged with espionage, which carries a 20-year prison sentence, but he denies the charges, as do Washington, D.C., the publication that Hershkovich and his family work for.
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Source: Hot News
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