Shortly after Washington announced the discharge of some two hundred local officials serving on its diplomatic missions in Russia, the Russian Ambassador to the United States reported that Washington had ordered 24 Russian diplomats to leave by September 3, and the two steps were part of a series of actions by the two countries following the crisis in US-Russian relations.

In an interview with National Intercept, Ambassador Anatoly Antonov said that the Embassy had received a list of 24 Russian diplomats expected to leave the United States by September 3.

He explained that "almost all of them will be deported without a replacement appointment, because Washington suddenly restricted visa procedures."

The situation at the embassies of the two countries had not changed for the better since the June summit in Geneva between Russian Presidents Vladimir Putin and American Joe Biden.

After that summit, Antonov and his American counterpart, John Salivan, returned to their posts after being called to consultations.

Antonov said: "Russian diplomatic missions in the United States continue to be forced to operate under unprecedented restrictions, not only continuing but also tightening."

In Washington, US State Department spokesman Ned Price confirmed that diplomats were expected to leave the US, but rejected Antonov's description of the situation, saying it was "untrue."

Lahilat had nothing to do with the situation with local employees of American diplomatic installations in Russia.

He continued: "There's a three-year limit on visa validity for Russians, and that's nothing new. When visas expire, as you may expect, these individuals are expected to leave the country or apply for an extension. "

Price did not state whether requests for extensions would be considered or summarily rejected.

Antonov's interview came several days after the United States Foreign Affairs announced the demobilization of 182 local employees from American installations in Russia, following a ban on domestic appointments imposed by the Kremlin earlier this year, in response to the United States expulsion of Russian diplomats and the closure of reciprocal diplomatic facilities in the two States.