With ties already at post-Cold War lows, Russia and the US are in dispute over the workings of their diplomatic missions, including the number of diplomats they can post to each other's capitals.

Last week the Russian foreign ministry said a US congressional proposal to expel 300 Russian diplomats from the US would lead to the closure of American diplomatic facilities in Russia, if implemented. Moscow does not rule out the work of Russian and American diplomatic missions being frozen, but would like to avoid such a scenario, the RIA news agency cited Ryabkov as saying.

He said the two sides would hold new consultations on resolving the issue around visas and diplomats, without specifying a date.