Moscow Accuses US of Illegally Granting Citizenship to Children of Russian Diplomats

Moscow (ANTARA) - Russia has accused the United States Department of State of illegally granting American citizenship to children of Russian diplomats born in the US, a move that Moscow claims violates international norms and bilateral diplomatic practices. Through Vedomosti, a Russian business daily, Maria Zakharova, spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry, wrote on Monday that US authorities are applying “birthright citizenship” to automatically register these children as US citizens. Zakharova argued that this practice contradicts international and national law, US President Donald Trump’s policies, and the wishes of the parents. “The deep state in the US is creating a new problem to pressure Russian diplomats, ignoring the fact that this is a clear example of the decline of what is called ‘American democracy’,” she stated. Zakharova reminded that US law explicitly excludes the right of diplomats’ children to obtain US citizenship through birthright. In her view, the US Department of State intends to undermine Trump’s anti-immigration policy and the process of removing “points of friction” in Russia-US relations, while using the citizenship of these children as a pretext to pressure Russian diplomats. “Russia does not recognise the imposition of American citizenship on Russian citizens born to our diplomatic, administrative, technical, and consular staff families in the US. We will demand that the American side confirm that these newborns are not under US jurisdiction,” Zakharova added.