>
Article snippet: MOSCOW — The American diplomatic mission to Russia said Monday that it planned to sharply reduce visa services because of Moscow’s order to cut its staff, the latest in a series of tit-for-tat penalties by the two countries. The embassy said in a statement that, beginning Wednesday, it would suspend the issuance of all nonimmigrant visas — like those for business, work and tourism — and that from Sept. 1 it would issue such visas only in Moscow “for as long as our staffing levels are reduced.” The Russian foreign minister, Sergey V. Lavrov, said during a news conference in Moscow that the announcement was “another attempt to make the Russian citizen angry about the actions of the Russian government.” Mr. Lavrov said that he doubted the embassy’s justification for the cutbacks in visa services. “The American diplomatic school, diplomatic service, just as the Russian one, has great traditions and experience in preparing professional staff,” he said. He added that the American argument that its diplomatic workers cannot issue the same number of visas with reduced staff disrespected the “capabilities and possibilities of the American diplomatic service.” Mr. Lavrov said the ministry was studying the matter and would have a response at a later date. Last month, Congress imposed a fresh round of sanctions on Russia for its meddling in elections and its aggressive behavior toward neighboring countries. In response, President Vladimir V. Putin ordered the United States E... Link to the full article to read more