THE WORLD

Russia asks its citizens to avoid traveling to the West

Vladimir Putin

Photo: Associated Press

Russia has issued a travel warning for its citizens on the grounds that tensions with the US are "on the verge of exploding".

Maria Zakharova, spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, called on citizens on Wednesday to "refrain from traveling to the US, Canada and, with some exceptions, EU countries" during the Christmas period.

She has said that those traveling could be hunted down by US authorities, Reuters reports.

"In the context of increasing confrontation in Russian-American relations, which are on the verge of explosion due to Washington's fault, trips to the United States of America privately or on official grounds are fraught with serious risks," Zakharova said.

She did not elaborate on which EU countries were exempt from the travel advice.

Although travel warnings between Russia, the US and beyond are nothing new, diplomats in both Moscow and Washington say the relationship between the two countries is worse than at any time since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis. because of the disagreements about the war in Ukraine.

Last month, relations were further strained by Ukraine's use of US and British missiles to strike deep into Russian territory as Russia decided to lower its nuclear threshold.

Both sides also accuse each other of detaining citizens on baseless charges.

US President-elect Donald Trump has urged both sides in the war in Ukraine to agree to an immediate ceasefire, saying it is "Vladimir Putin's time to act".

Writing on social media on December 8, the president-elect called for an "immediate ceasefire".

"I know Vladimir well. It's his time to act. China can help. The world is waiting!", said Trump, referring to his closeness with Putin.