The Foreign Ministry of Iceland said it asked Russia to scale back its diplomatic activities in Reykjavik due to the all-time low in commercial, cultural and political relations between two countries. The Russian Foreign Ministry said in its response that the move destroyed the whole edifice of relations, which were traditionally rooted in mutual respect and multifaceted cooperation.

“It is well known that the Russian Federation made an important contribution to the establishment of a sovereign Icelandic state, was one of the first countries to recognise its independence, and did much to protect the interests of Iceland during the difficult times for the Icelandic people,” reads the Russian Foreign Ministry’s statement.

It goes on to say that the responsibility for this development lies squarely with Iceland.

“We will take this unfriendly decision into account when building our relations with Iceland in the future. There will inevitably be a response to all of Reykjavik's anti-Russia actions,” according to the statement.