MOSCOW (Sputnik) — US public relations firm Ketchum has ended a nine-year contract with Russia, PR Week trade magazine reported citing a company statement.
The announcement comes amid deepening tensions between Russia and the West over the ongoing crisis in Ukraine.
"Ketchum no longer represents the Russian Federation in the US or Europe with the exception of our office in Moscow," the firm said.
Ketchum's subsidiary within the Omnicom Group, GPlus will carry on working "under the terms of the contract," according to the statement.
In September 2014, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in an interview with the Russian edition of Forbes magazine that Russia had yet to decide if they should extend the deal with Ketchum.
The company was paid nearly $30 million by Russia over the period from 2006 to mid-2014, according to Forbes.
Russian gas giant Gazprom, Ketchum's other major Russian client, ended its deal with the company last summer, according to The New York Times.
Russia's relationships with the West have deteriorated over the past year as the United States, the European Union and a number of their allies imposed several rounds of sanctions on Russia over its alleged role in the Ukraine crisis.
