MOSCOW. June 24 (Interfax) - Moscow deems Russian-U.S. expert consultations on bilateral "irritants" planned for the near future to be impossible, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said.
"The Russian side believes it is objectively impossible to hold Russian-U.S. expert consultations on bilateral 'irritants' planned for the near future, especially as Washington has been multiplying these 'irritants' in its practices," Zakharova said in a commentary published on the ministry website.
"Clearly contradictory trends have emerged in the policy of the U.S. authorities in recent days," she said.
"On one hand, we are hearing increasingly frequent official assurances of the alleged commitment of Washington to diplomatic relations and normal conditions for operation of diplomatic missions in both countries. On the other hand, we cannot help but say that such statements are actually negated by the increasingly hostile actions of the U.S. side," Zakharova said.
"It's hard to describe as a mere coincidence the ban on rail transit of a broad range of cargo through the Kaliningrad region and the practically simultaneous cancellation of a special flight that was due to repatriate our diplomats from the United States after they were ordered to leave Washington by an ultimatum from the U.S. authorities. And as if this is not enough, there was an outwardly inadequate, but in fact a frankly provocative trick of an employee of the defense attache's office at the U.S. embassy in Moscow," she said.
"There are all grounds to believe this is a matter of the comprehensive tactics or, to be more exact, the brazen and arrogant attempts at speaking with us from the position of strength. We will draw relevant conclusions and will take relevant measures," Zakharova said.