Iceland-Russia Ties Strained as Embassy Operations Suspended.

Iceland has announced that it will suspend work at its embassy in Russia from August 1, becoming the first country to do so, and has requested Russia to limit its operations in Reykjavik. The foreign ministry stressed that the decision "does not constitute a severance of diplomatic relations." However, since commercial, cultural and political ties with Russia were "at an all-time low," maintaining embassy operations in Moscow was "no longer justifiable," it said.