European Council head says Russia’s list of unfriendly states undermines diplomatic ties - TASS

The Russian government’s decision to compile a list of unfriendly foreign countries undermines diplomatic relations, European Council President Charles Michel said.

"The Russian government’s decision on ‘states committing unfriendly acts’ is another escalatory step & undermines diplomatic relations," he said in a Twitter post on Friday.

The European official went on to say that "efforts to divide the EU are in vain." "Full solidarity with Czech Republic," he added. "We call on Russia to fully respect the Vienna Convention."

The Russian government published the official list of unfriendly countries on the official portal of legislative information on Friday. So far, the list has only two entries - the United States and the Czech Republic. According to the document, the Czech Republic’s embassy and consulates in Russia are allowed to employ up to 19 Russian staffers, while the US diplomatic missions are completely prohibited from doing so.