Escalating diplomatic tit-for-tat, Russia on Friday promised a “tough response” to a US order to shut the Russian Consulate in San Francisco and offices in Washington and New York. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey lavrov says Moscow has yet to study the United States’ decision to shut its consulate in San Francisco before considering possible retaliation. lavrov defended Russia’s decision to cut US diplomatic staff as reciprocal reaction to the US expelling Russian diplomats last December.
Despite the perceived bonhomie between US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, ties between the two countries are hurtling downhill, prompting Washington to order the closure of three Russian mission offices.
Following Putin’s order a month ago that the US cut its diplomatic staff in Russia by 755 employees, the Trump administration on Thursday directed Moscow to close within 48 hours its consulate in San Francisco, a chancery annexe in Washington and a consular annexe in New York.
The Russian action itself was in retaliation against new sanctions imposed in July after the US Congress decided to punish Moscow for its reported interference in the 2016 American presidential election, including the release of hacked emails embarrassing the Hillary Clinton campaign.
Defending the latest action, the State Department said the United States having fully implemented the staff cuts directed by Moscow was simply applying the principle of parity in respect of diplomatic presence.
Asserting the Russian action was “unwarranted and detrimental to the overall relationship between our two countries”, the department said, “In the spirit of parity invoked by Russians, we are requiring Russian Government to close Consulate General in San Francisco, a chancery annex in Washington, DC, and a consular annex in New York City.”
“These closures will need to be accomplished by September 2,” State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert said in a statement, adding: “With this action both countries will remain with three consulates each.”
“While there will continue to be a disparity in the number of diplomatic and consular annexes, we have chosen to allow the Russian Government to maintain some of its annexes in an effort to arrest the downward spiral in our relationship,” Nauert maintained.
Asking Moscow to avoid further retaliatory action, the spokesperson expressed the hope that the two countries can “move forward to achieve the stated goal of both of our presidents: improved relations between our two countries and increased cooperation on areas of mutual concern”.
“The United States is prepared to take further action as necessary and as warranted,” Nauert added.
Trump, who has differed with fellow-Republicans in advocating a robust relationship with Russia notably during the prolonged presidential campaign, held his first meeting with Putin during the G-20 summit in Hamburg in early July.
Their meeting was thought to have set the stage for improving the bilateral relations that had nosedived during the Obama administration. But with the all-out push by the US Congress for expanded sanctions, the hopes of recasting the relations quickly evaporated. After this latest tit-for-tat, diplomatic watchers in both the capitals are wondering what would come about next.
In Moscow, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey lavrov was quoted as saying on Friday that his country would reply with firmness. “We will have a tough response to the things that come totally out of the blue to hurt us and are driven solely by the desire to spoil our relations with the United States,” lavrov said.
Appearing to defend Trump while attacking the Congress, lavrov commented that the new anti-Russia sanctions passed by lawmakers was also designed to “tie Trump’s hands, not let him use his constitutional powers to the full to make foreign policy”.