The U.S. has asked 24 Russian diplomats to leave the country by September 3 after their visas expire, Russian Ambassador to the U.S. Anatoly Antonov said in an interview with the National Interest magazine published on Sunday.

The ambassador said that almost all of the diplomats will leave due to the tightened visa-issuing procedures placed by Washington without prior notification.

Similar restriction of a three-year assignment period for Russian personnel was applied by the U.S. side last December, Antonov said, adding that the requirement was not applied to any other country.

U.S. State Department spokesperson Ned Price rejected the claim on Monday by saying that Antonov's "characterization of the situation is not accurate."

"The three-year limit on visa validity for Russians, it's nothing new. When visas expire ... these individuals are expected to leave the country or apply for an extension. That is what is at play here," he told reporters during a daily briefing.

Price also denied that the U.S. was using Russian diplomats' visas to retaliate, but said, "We reserve the right to take appropriate response measures to Russia's actions."

The Russian Foreign Ministry in April announced a complete ban on U.S. diplomatic missions from hiring citizens of Russia or third countries to administrative and technical posts in response to U.S. sanctions and expulsion of Russian diplomats.

(With input from Xinhua)