OREANDA-NEWS. On February 10, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov admitted that Russia would reduce the number of its diplomatic missions in Ukraine.

“We also looked at their (Western colleagues) actions and, probably, we will also advise non-essential personnel of our diplomatic institutions to go home for a while,” Lavrov said.

On January 26, the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry commented on the evacuation of Western diplomats from Kiev. He noted that the West is thus whipping up hysteria around Ukraine.

On January 23, the US State Department ordered to begin the voluntary departure of part of the American diplomatic staff and members of the families of diplomats from the territory of Ukraine. The agency also issued a recommendation advising American citizens not to travel to Russia due to “continuing tensions” on the Russian-Ukrainian border.

In addition, the United States stated that Russia itself was preparing to evacuate the families of its diplomats from Ukraine in late December - early January. However, the Russian Foreign Ministry denied this information.

The West needs Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as a tool to bring Russia out of balance. This was announced on February 10 by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

“President Zelensky calls not to panic, but, apparently, our Western colleagues need President Zelensky only as a tool to bring Russia out of balance and no one cares what he thinks there, and what negative consequences Ukraine has from all this hysteria, the Ukrainian economy, the Ukrainian budget, how investments are fleeing Ukraine because of all these sobs and lamentations,” he said after talks with British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss.

Earlier in the day, Lavrov, after meeting with Truss, spoke of a conversation between "the mute and the deaf." According to the minister, relations between the Russian Federation and Britain leave much to be desired, and this is not the fault of Moscow. He stressed that "selectivity, imposing conditions, ultimatums and threats are all a road to nowhere."