US Has No Updates On Full Resumption Of Visa Services At Embassy In Moscow - State Dept.

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 10th December, 2022) The United States does not have any updates regarding when the American embassy in Moscow will resume full visa services for Russian citizens, State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel said on Friday.

"I don't have any updates or specific new measures to announce as it relates to the Embassy's issuance of visas," Patel said during a press briefing.

Earlier in the day, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said Moscow continues to urge Washington to fully resume visa issuance in Russia.

Russia raises the issue at all levels about the need for the US side to return to normality in consular-visa relations, including the resumption of full-fledged visa services for Russian citizens in our country, which were discontinued under "far-fetched pretexts" in May last year, Ryabkov said.

However, due circumstance revolving around the crisis in Ukraine, the issue is becoming political and is being used by Washington as another pressure point on Moscow, Ryabkov said.

The diplomat added that the United States started filling vacancies in the embassy in Moscow with those responsible for issuing visas.