US Removal From Russia's Unfriendly States List To Require US Policy Adjustment - Antonov

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 28th July, 2021) Possible removal of the United States from Russia's list of unfriendly countries will require an adjustment of the American policy, Russian Ambassador to the US Anatoly Antonov told Sputnik.

"Obviously, a revision of Russian decisions would require an adjustment of American approaches, which have become a generator of instability in bilateral relations. Don't put the cart in front of the horse," Antonov said.

"We have given an objective and fair assessment of the US policy that has been pursued towards Russia in all recent years. We do not intend to endure such treatment of ourselves. At the same time, we constantly convey to our colleagues that we are open to constructive cooperation to the extent that the American side is ready for this. How it will respond to this, we will judged by specific cases in the context of realizing the understandings reached at the Geneva summit," the ambassador added.

Antonov expressed the belief that Washington is well aware that the Russian list is a "natural consequence" of hostile actions.

"In a ridiculous witch-hunt, Washington has dramatically tightened visa procedures. We have been completely deprived of the consular presence on the West Coast of America, where tens of thousands of compatriots live.

Mass expulsions of Russian diplomats are carried out regularly. We have been denied access to our own buildings since the American authorities, in a gangster manner, took possession of six diplomatic facilities that are state property of Russia and have immunity," Antonov recalled.

In response to another round of sanctions on April 15, Moscow was forced to take countermeasures, counter-expelling US diplomats and banning US diplomatic missions from hiring citizens of Russia and of third countries, the diplomat noted.

"By the way, our formulation is semantically not as radical as that of the Americans. Back in August 2017, Russia was declared 'America's adversary" at the legislative level.' A similar hostile perception of our country permeates through the fundamental doctrinal documents of the United States, which present an independent Russian course as a threat to national security," Antonov concluded.

Russia's list of unfriendly states includes two countries: the US and the Czech Republic. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an interview with Sputnik that Moscow will not indiscriminately put any country on the list of unfriendly ones, the decision will be preceded by a deep analysis, and the list may be revised over time.