In retaliation, U.S. orders Russia to close 3 offices
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s administration on Thursday ordered Russia to close its consulate in San Francisco and two diplomatic annexes, in New York and Washington, in retaliation against Russia’s order that the U.S. reduce its embassy staff in Moscow by 755 people.
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson informed Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov of the move in a phone call Thursday morning. The administration said the move was purely reciprocal and was not designed to further escalate tensions between the United States and Russia.
But in a statement, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Lavrov “expressed regret at the escalation of tension in bilateral relations,” adding that the Russian government would study the move before deciding how to respond.
Tillerson and Lavrov are expected to meet during the U.N. General Assembly session this month.
“In the spirit of parity invoked by the Russians,” the U.S. will require Russia to close the three offices by Saturday, State Department spokesman Heather Nauert said in a statement.
The response had been expected since Russia in July ordered the U.S. Embassy staff cuts after Congress imposed sanctions because of Moscow’s meddling in the 2016 presidential election.
Russia had said it was retaliating for the U.S. sanctions and the seizure of two Russian compounds in the United States. Russia said its response merely sought “parity” in the number of diplomats from each country working in the other.
The State Department would not say how many employees will be affected by the closings ordered Thursday, though it noted that the reduction would leave the United States and Russia with three consulates in each other’s country.
“While there will continue to be a disparity in the number of diplomatic and
consular annexes,” the U.S. statement said, “we have chosen to allow the Russian government to maintain some of its annexes in an effort to arrest the downward spiral in our relationship.”
New Russian Ambassador Anatoly Antonov, who arrived in Washington only hours after the U.S. announcement, cited a maxim of former Soviet leader Vladimir Lenin as he urged caution and professionalism.
“We don’t need hysterical impulses,” Russian news agencies quoted Antonov as saying.
The Russian Consulate in San Francisco is the oldest and most established consulate in the United States, according to administration officials, consisting of an office building and a residence. The two annexes housed Russian trade missions.
Outside the consulate building high atop a hill overlooking the San Francisco Bay, there were no visible signs of an exodus Thursday. Consular officials walked in and out of the building, and Russian citizens who had scheduled appointments said they were able to pick up or renew their passports.
“It’s sad because I’ve lived many years in the U.S. and there are strong ties between the countries,” said Kate Stanton, a San Francisco real estate agent who said she holds dual U.S.-Russian citizenship.
American counterintelligence officials have long kept a watchful eye on the Russian outpost in San Francisco, concerned that people posted to the consulate as diplomats were engaged in espionage. The U.S. late last year kicked out several Russians posted there, calling it a response to election interference.
But the State Department’s response seemed calculated to avoid deepening the rift with Russia. The administration is not expelling any Russian diplomatic personnel from the United States, nor does the move affect the staff at Russia’s main embassy in Washington.
“It is an important and needed response, but it is not proportionate,” said Michael McFaul, who served as ambassador to Moscow during President Barack Obama’s administration. “The dismissal of 755 employees has a much greater impact on our diplomatic operations in Russia than this action has on Russian operations in the United States.”
The Trump administration’s announcement of the action also bore little resemblance to Russia’s move, which was announced by President Vladimir Putin in an interview with state-run Russian television.
The White House delegated the response to Tillerson, and the explanation of the move was left to a midlevel State Department official.
Putin’s move was in part a delayed reaction to Obama’s expulsion of 35 Russian diplomats and his seizure of the two Russian diplomatic compounds last year. Obama was acting after U.S. intelligence agencies concluded that Russia attempted to influence the 2016 election.
The administration said there was no decision on whether the Russian government would be allowed to take back those facilities.
Trump last month expressed gratitude, rather than anger, toward Putin when he was asked about the Russian action to reduce U.S. Embassy personnel in Moscow.
“I want to thank him because we’re trying to cut down the payroll,” Trump said, “and as far as I’m concerned, I’m very thankful that he let go a lot of a large number of people because now we have a smaller payroll.”
Nauert said the U.S. has fully complied with Russia’s demand to reduce staff at the U.S. Embassy.
“We believe this action was unwarranted and detrimental to the overall relationship between our countries,” Nauert said in the statement.
The reductions are having consequences for Russia. The U.S. has temporarily suspended nonimmigrant visa processing for Russians seeking
to visit the United States and will soon resume them only at a reduced rate. The U.S. will process visas only at the embassy in Moscow, meaning Russians can no longer apply at U.S. consulates in St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg and Vladivostok.
Despite the exchange of penalties, there have been narrow signs of U.S.-Russian cooperation that have transcended the worsening ties. In July, Trump and Putin signed off on a deal with Jordan for a cease-fire in southwest Syria. The U.S. says the truce has largely held.
Nauert warned that “the United States is prepared to take further action as necessary and as warranted” against Russia but said the U.S. hopes that both countries can now move toward “improved relations” and “increased cooperation.”