The Trump administration informed Congress of its plans to close the last two US consulates in Russia, leaving the US embassy in Moscow as the only US diplomatic mission in the country.
The State Department sent a letter to congressional leaders on December 10th that said the US is permanently closing its consulate in Vladivostok, and temporarily halting operations at the consulate in Yekaterinburg.
According to the letter, the US is shuttering the consulates due to caps set by Moscow on the number of diplomats allowed in the country. In 2017, Russian President Vladimir Putin set new limits on the number of US diplomatic employees in response to US sanctions.
The letter says the move is “in response to ongoing staffing challenges of the US Mission in Russia in the wake of the 2017 Russian-imposed personnel cap on the US Mission and resultant impasse with Russia over diplomatic visas.”
In December 2016, then-President Barack Obama expelled 35 Russian diplomats for Moscow’s alleged interference in the presidential election, which was never substantiated. Putin chose not to retaliate against Obama’s move.
The news comes at a sensitive time for US-Russia relations. Several US government agencies were targeted in a major cyberattack that many in the US are blaming on Russia, despite a lack of evidence to show Moscow was involved.
Some senators are calling for retaliation against Russia. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) even likened it to a “virtual invasion.” But the shuttering of the consulates does not appear to be connected to the cyberattack since the administration informed Congress a few days before the hack was reported.
the fascist empire desperate—crumbling
now fewer places for amerikan spies, as fake NGO spies are identified eradicated
Pompeo: Russia behind cyber hack of U.S. agencies
https://www.politico.com/news/2020/12/19/pompeo-russia-behind-cyberhack-of-us-agencies-448625
Anyone who still believes this lying clown pompass on anything needs serious help!
Sound like a slam dunk , eh?
Former ambassador under obumber, mcFoul (sic), has a “sad” that two consulates are being closed. mcFoul was kicked out by Russian foreign Ministry for anti-russian govt activities.
“has a sad”? What does that even mean. And Obama was president 4 years ago. This has nothing to do with him.
You just have to take a break from blogging. Get out of the cabin in Yakutsk. And learn English. Please.
ok-too much snow!
Dickhead Durban and the rest of the Russophobic fools who ignore the real problems of the USA, which are entirely home-made, need to look in the mirror and cut the needless “defense”budget and provide a life for the majority of the people in the USA.
I rẻmember from my time in Europe that Americans who had trouble with the govt. and ended up in jail found the councilor personel in tỏo many cases 2B useless and òten had to seek help from the embassies of other nations to help them. The counilateral didn’t want any waves to rock their boat of harmony with the country they were in. Spy headquarters?
In the old days we had party lines, three or four or more shared a single phone line. Now we all knew that if we had some information we wanted to keep private we didn’t publish it on line. So are we stupid? Make it a crime to listen in, all the while doing our best to dominate the world with our military forces and then start a war because someone listened to our plans?
That’s pretty weak.
Notice “temporary” closure of Yekaterinburg. That is the place with a concentrated NGO/liberal activists. They will scream — as any visa for US could only be processed in Moscow. For Vladivostok — it is a very, very long flight across 10 time zones.
For those that need to travel — on business or visiting family — it is now an expensive proposition.
In the bright side, with NGO money drying up — there will be fewer “activists” being nuisance, demanding freedom to draw obscenities on highways. And savings to us. All around a good thing.