Simon Lewis and Humeyra Pamuk

WASHINGTON (Reuters] – In the face of a severe downturn of diplomatic relations between Washington, Moscow and Washington, the U.S. State Department can only maintain a “caretaker” presence in Russia. A senior official from the department said Wednesday.

After the new Biden administration issued sanctions against Russia, and expunged 10 Russian diplomats for actions such as the SolarWinds hack attack and election interference, the United States expelled their ambassadors to Russia.

These ambassadors returned to the United States in June. But the U.S. staff at Moscow’s embassy – the final operational U.S. missions in the country, after Yekaterinburg was closed in February – is now 120.

According to the anonymous official who spoke under condition of anonymity, staff were having difficulty issuing visas. They also couldn’t repair entrance gates or elevators which created safety concerns.

“We’re going to confront the situation… sometime next year where it’s just difficult for us to continue with anything other than a caretaker presence at the embassy,” the official said.

Russia and the United States are still in contact over issues such as nuclear threat reduction, climate change and energy. However, relations continue to be strained by matters like Nord Stream 2 pipeline to Europe and President Vladimir Putin’s suppression of domestic opposition.

Nearly 200 staff members were laid off by the United States after Russia prohibited them from employing any non-Americans. Washington also has been prevented from entering Russia through a visa-forvisa arrangement.

According to a State Department official, Russia currently has less than 400 diplomats in America, which includes its New York delegation to UN.

Officials from the United States continue to engage in negotiations with Russian counterparts, to stop the “downwards spiral” of tensions.