‘Diplomatic declaration of war’: Russia asked to vacate its four consulates in Germany

Diplomatic relations between Berlin and Moscow continue to deteriorate in the wake of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Now, a spokesperson for Germany’s foreign ministry said on Wednesday that Russiahas been asked to shut down four consulates operating on its soil. "We have decided to withdraw consent for the operation of four of the five Russian consulates operating in Germany," the spokesperson said.

This comes after the Kremlin imposed tighter limits on Berlin regarding the number of employees Germany’s embassy and cultural institutions can hire in Russia. The ongoing tussle between the two nations has been referred to as a “diplomatic declaration of war” by the German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung.

Tit-for-tat diplomatic strikes

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In April, Moscow placed new limits on people the German embassy and institutes like the Goethe Institute language school can hire in Russia. The rule will go into effect from June 1st, resulting in the expulsion of hundreds of German diplomats, teachers and employees from Russia.

Reuters quoted a source from the German foreign ministry as saying, "This limit, set by Russia for the beginning of June, requires a major cut in all areas of our presence in Russia."

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Earlier in April, the two nations had expelled 40 workers from their respective embassies after declaring them personae non grata. Following this, the German foreign ministry in a statement said, “In view of this unilateral, unjustified, and incomprehensible decision, the Federal Government is now concerned with ensuring a minimum presence of intermediaries in Russia while also maintaining a diplomatic presence.”

Diplomatic standoff between EU and Russia

Since the start of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, European nations have expelled severalRussian diplomats. In March alone, four European nations expelled at least 40 Russian diplomats suspected of spying.

Russia and Germany are known for having deep cultural and economic links,however, things have turned upside down over the last 15 months. Russia has been accusing Berlin of escalating conflict in Ukraine as the latter in January announced it will send Leopard 2 tanks to the war-torn nation. Following this announcement, Russia accused Germany of abandoning its "historical responsibility to Russia" arising from Nazi crimes in World War Two.

Also Read |Russia to expel 34 out of over 90 German diplomats working in Moscow

In early May, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced that his nation will back Ukraine "for as long as it is necessary", while further promising military aid worth €2.7bn ($2.9bn).

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