WASHINGTON, Aug. 23 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. State Department said on Wednesday the suspension of visa operations at the U.S. embassy in Russia was not a "retaliation against Russia" but due to the staff cuts.
"The United States is not retaliating against Russia in any way, shape or form," said the State Department Spokeswoman Heather Nauert in a press briefing.
The U.S. embassy in Russia said Monday that it will suspend all nonimmigrant visa operations across Russia for nine days starting Wednesday due to the Russian government-imposed cap on U.S. diplomatic personnel in Russia.
"Because we've had to reduce the number of people who adjudicate visas, we had to put a pause on visa applications for Russians," said Nauert.
The Consular affairs offices in Russia will resume visa operations, but will be "at a reduced pace," Nauert added.
In July, Russia demanded the United States cut its diplomatic staff in Russia by 755 people to 455 by Sept. 1, the latest move from Russia amid its souring relations with the United States.
Kremlin also ordered to seize a U.S. warehouse and a recreational compound in Moscow in retaliation for Washington's anti-Russian sanctions.
The staff cuts were followed by the U.S. visa freeze, an act which Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov claimed to "provoke dissatisfaction of our citizens with the activities of the Russian authorities."
In December 2016, 35 Russian diplomats were expelled and two retreats in New York and Maryland used by Russian diplomats were closed by the Obama administration over accusations of alleged Russian hacking during the U.S. presidential election.
