Washington orders Russia to close consulate after Kremlin cut U.S. presence

The United States demands that Russia shut San Francisco consulate as well as two annex buildings in Washington and New York in response to Moscow’s actions, The Guardian reports.

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The United States is requiring Russia to close its consulate in San Francisco and two annex buildings in Washington DC and New York City, the state department said on Thursday, in response to the Kremlin’s decision to shrink the US diplomatic mission in Russia, according to The Guardian.

Last month Moscow ordered the U.S. to cut its diplomatic and technical staff in Russia by more than half, to 455 people, after Congress overwhelmingly approved new sanctions against Russia.

Read alsoReuters: Putin says Russia to expel 755 U.S. diplomatic staff, more measures possible“We believe this action was unwarranted and detrimental to the overall relationship between our countries,” a state department spokeswoman, Heather Nauert, said in a statement on Thursday.

“In the spirit of parity invoked by the Russians, we are requiring the Russian Government to close its Consulate General in San Francisco, a chancery annex in Washington DC and a consular annex in New York City,” Nauert said. “These closures will need to be accomplished by September 2.”

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