Russia's Lavrov says Moscow is in contact with U.S. about embassies

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov attends a meeting of Russian President Vladimir Putin with delegation of African leaders to discuss their proposal for peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, in Saint Petersburg, Russia June 17, 2023. Pavel Bednyakov/Host photo agency RIA Novosti via REUTERS/File photo

(Reuters) - White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan has been in touch with Moscow to discuss the respective Russian and U.S. embassies, and the two sides are in talks on the subject, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Wednesday.

The two countries' embassies have been severely and reciprocally scaled down in recent years as relations have worsened, notably since Russia seized Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, and especially after Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine last year, in what it calls a "special military operation".