Russia’s Ambassador to Washington Anatoly Antonov has revealed that he received a letter inviting him to condemn President Vladimir Putin.
The message proposed that he should “give up on his motherland and condemn the actions of the Russian president,” Antonov told Russia’s Channel 1 on Tuesday.
“If I wanted to do so, I was told to contact the office of Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman,” he added.
The Russian Embassy has written to the US State Department demanding to know “what it all meant”, the diplomat said.
Antonov also claimed that people have been handing out cards allegedly containing FBI contacts outside the Russian Embassy compound, and inviting staff to have a chat with US special services.