Russia protests to US over consulate flags

— Russia’s foreign minister Sergei Lavrov on Thursday complained to his U.S. counterpart about the “unacceptable” removal of Russian flags from two of its closed diplomatic missions in the United States.

In a telephone call, Lavrov told Secretary of State Rex Tillerson that the move went against efforts to repair ties between the two countries, which have become increasingly strained.

Lavrov said the “arbitrary action by U.S. officials directly contradicts Washington’s statements... about its intentions to normalize bilateral relations which have fallen to an unprecedented level,” a Russian foreign ministry statement said.

Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova earlier told reporters that Russian flags had been “torn down” from the buildings of the general consulate in San Francisco and Russia’s trade mission in Washington.