Us-russia tensions rise
The US yesterday ordered Russia to close its consulate in San Francisco, as well as two facilities in Washington and New York, in retaliation for Moscow’s demand that the US reduce its embassy staff in Russia by 755 people.
US officials said they were acting “in the spirit of parity invoked by the Russians” to avoid a further downward spiral in relations.
The Russian government said Sergey Lavrov, the foreign secretary, “expressed regret about the escalation of tensions in bilateral ties” in a phone call to Rex Tillerson, his counterpart.