The Russian foreign minister says U.S. officials have tried to recruit Russian diplomats posted to the United States.
Sergey Lavrov said Tuesday that on one occasion in April the U.S. sought to recruit a deputy chief of mission in Washington, describing the attempt as "unprecedented."
"Most recently, in the past few years, especially during the second term of Obama's administration, that unfriendly activity towards our diplomats has been growing in scale,” Lavrov said at a news conference on Tuesday.
In another case, Lavrov said that U.S. officials put $10,000 in cash and a note offering to cooperate in a Russian diplomat's car.
Lavrov also alleged that U.S. diplomats regularly attended Russian opposition rallies, some of them in disguise.
"In addition to spying, US Embassy diplomats have repeatedly been seen taking part in the rallies of opposition, anti-government forces, unauthorized rallies, including times when they wore disguise. Do the math yourselves," Lavrov stated.
Sergey Lavrov said that his ministry had looked at the U.S. complaints of harassment of U.S. diplomats in Russia and found no confirmation of them.
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