Moscow [Russia], April 24 (ANI/Sputnik): The funds of the Russian Consulate General in New York at Bank of America have been blocked and the mission is operating on cash reserves, acting Consul General in New York, Vyacheslav Slavkin told Sputnik on Sunday.
Earlier in the day, Russian Ambassador Anatoly Antonov said that Bank of America closed the accounts of two Russian consulates general in Houston and New York.
“On March 16, Bank of America blocked and froze all of our accounts. We are completely restricted from paying for utilities – we cannot pay for gas and insurance. We can’t pay for the basic things necessary for the functioning of the Consulate General,” Slavkin said, adding that the consulate is also facing “difficulties with the payment of employees’ salaries.”
According to Slavkin, all payments necessary for the functioning of the consulate are made from the cash reserve in case of extreme events, which is available at the cash desk of the mission. “In addition, we use the funds paid by citizens for consular services,” the diplomat added.
The acting Consul-General made no predictions about how long the reserve will last.
“We are working very closely with the State Department on this issue. The State Department has promised to provide all assistance in opening new accounts, in some other banks. However, so far everything is in process. So far there is no result,” Slavkin said.
At the same time, Slavkin noted that the security measures of the Russian Consulate General in New York have been strengthened amid threats to the diplomatic mission amid Russia’s military operation in Ukraine. (ANI/Sputnik)
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