Unacceptable to place conditions on their return: Kremlin

The Kremlin on Monday said Washington must unconditionally restore its access to diplomatic compounds in the United States ahead of high-level talks on the issue.

Russia is angry that Washington is still barring its diplomats from using two compounds in the States of New York and Maryland after then President Barack Obama in December ordered the ban on access in response to suspected Russian meddling in the U.S. election.

“We consider it absolutely unacceptable to place conditions on the return of diplomatic property, we consider that it must be returned without any conditions and talking,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists.

He spoke as Thomas Shannon, the U.S. State Department’s third-in-command, was set to host Russia’s deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov in Washington later on Monday.

Diplomats quoted by Russian news agencies said the issue of the residential complexes would be on their agenda. The talks between Mr. Shannon and Mr. Ryabkov were earlier scheduled for June but Russia cancelled them, citing new U.S. sanctions linked to the conflict in Ukraine.

Discussed with Trump

When President Vladimir Putin and U.S. counterpart Donald Trump met for the first time at the G20 summit in Hamburg this month, Mr. Putin raised the question “quite unambiguously”, Mr. Peskov said. He added that “we still hope our American colleagues will show political wisdom and political will”.

Mr. Obama announced the U.S. was shutting down residential complexes in December at the same time as he expelled 35 Russian diplomats for spying.