The US must stop arresting Russian nationals all over the world on false charges, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said in an interview with the International Affairs magazine.
"We demand an end to the global hunt for our citizens, based on false charges. The US must stop that. In many cases, Russian nationals are arrested on US warrants or even without them," he said.
According to Ryabkov, Washington seeks to exert pressure on Moscow. "By using such methods, the US administration is trying to influence our country. If Washington was really interested in improving relations with Russia, then it would, first and foremost, take humanitarian steps in such cases," the senior Russian diplomat went on to say. "The so-called US law enforcement agencies only seek to achieve their own goals and there have been no changes for the better and no progress in this area but it fills us with strength to continue the fight," Ryabkov said.
The Russian deputy foreign minister noted that Moscow had been making every possible effort to support arrested Russian nationals to improve their detention conditions and make sure that they had a chance to make phone calls, write emails and receive medical assistance when necessary.
"We have also been exerting political pressure on the US administration though with no response so far, but we will continue to do that," Ryabkov said. "The Americans strongly believe that those caught in the mills of justice must serve out their sentences. It is an aspect of US arbitrariness against Russian citizens," he concluded.
