When America and Russia are trying to patch up or hide their cozy relationship, the latest move will pull them a step back. In retaliation to Russia, the United States is forcing the country to close its consulate in San Francisco. Russia’s consular annex in New York and a chancery annex in Washington are also being forced to close. However, even with these forced closures, Russia will still maintain more consular staff here than the U.S. has in Russia, a senior administration official said on a call with reporters.
These closures come after Russia forced a sizable reduction of American diplomatic staff earlier this year, cutting as many as 755 American employees. Both countries now have three consulates in the other country, however. The senior administration official hopes “that Russia will recognize parity” and “hopes with this move we can avoid further retaliation.”
Russia must close these facilities by Saturday, but the staff are allowed to stay in the country and be transferred to Russia’s remaining consulates. The operations taking place at these facilities, such as trade missions and visa orders, will also be distributed to the country’s other consulates within the U.S.
The senior administration official did not say if these closures were permanent, but said the U.S. “wants to improve relations” and is “willing to listen and keep an open mind.”
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