US-Russia ties battered by new diplomat row

MOSCOW: Russia and the United States were locked in a fresh diplomatic slugging match as Moscow accused Washington of threatening its citizens’ security a day after it ordered the closure of Moscow’s San Francisco consulate and two other facilities.

Russian foreign ministry spokesman Maria Zakharova said the FBI planned to search the San Francisco consulate and accused the US authorities of threatening the “security” of Russian citizens and violating diplomats’ immunity.

The spat between the two nuclear-armed powers is another blow to US President Donald Trump’s pledge to try to improve relations with Russia’s Vladimir Putin.

Washington ordered Russia on Thursday to shutter its San Francisco consulate along with two diplomatic annexes in Washington and New York by Saturday “in the spirit of parity”.

Zakharova said in a statement that the FBI intended to carry out a search of the San Francisco con- sulate “including of the apartments of employees who live in the building and have immunity,” forcing them and their families to leave for up to 12 hours.

“We are talking about invasion into a consulate and the accommodations of diplomatic staff,” Zakharova said. “The demands of the US authorities create a direct threat to the security of Russian citizens.”

“We express a resolute protest over Washington’s actions that ignore international law,” Zakharova said, adding that: “We reserve the right to take retaliatory measures.”

Her angry statement came after presidential aide Yury Ushakov was quoted by TASS news agency as describing the latest US measures as “a kind of illegal takeover.”

The US ordered the closures in a retaliatory move after the Kremlin demanded Washington slash staff numbers at its Russian diplomatic missions to 455 personnel with a deadline that ran out on Friday.