(CNN) — The Russian Foreign Ministry issued a “strong protest” to US Ambassador to Moscow Lynn Tracy on Tuesday over her statements of support for imprisoned Kremlin critic Vladimir Kara-Murza.
In a statement, the Russian Foreign Ministry accused the US envoy of violating the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, and threatened to end her stay in Moscow ahead of schedule if she abused her status.
The ministry said: “It was particularly noted that any steps from the American side aimed at stirring up discord and enmity in Russian society, as well as using the diplomatic mission to cover up subversive actions, will be severely suppressed.”
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs added: “It was emphasized that such actions, which are committed openly in order to put pressure on the authorities and the court, constitute open interference in the internal affairs of the Russian Federation.”
The ambassadors of the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom were summoned to the Russian Foreign Ministry on Tuesday over what Russia’s state-owned RIA Novosti news agency said was “concerning gross interference in the affairs of the Russian Federation and activities that do not correspond to the diplomatic situation.”
