Russia: Moscow does not want to escalate situation around U.S. diplomats: agencies

Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov sits near the Syrian national flag as he addresses a news conference in Damascus June 28, 2014. REUTERS/Omar Sanadiki/Files

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Moscow does not want to escalate the situation around U.S. diplomats in Russia, Russian news agencies cited Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov as saying on Tuesday after talks with U.S. Undersecretary of State Thomas Shannon in Helsinki. Ryabkov said Moscow is not currently planning to further reduce the number of U.S. diplomatic staff in Russia, the agencies reported. (Writing by Dmitry Solovyov; Editing by Jack Stubbs)