WASHINGTON - The United States on Thursday ordered Russia to close its consulate in San Francisco as well as two annexes in Washington and New York in two days, in a tit-for-tat response to Moscow’s drastic reduction of US diplomatic staff in their country.

The State Department said the decision was made “in the spirit of parity,” adding that the closures needed to be completed by Saturday.

At the start of Donald Trump’s presidency in January, the Republican leader said he hoped for improved relations with Vladimir Putin’s Russia.

But after the US Congress approved new economic sanctions against Moscow over its alleged meddling in the 2016 US presidential election, Putin in July ordered drastic cuts in US staff in retaliation.

Along with the San Francisco consulate, the installations ordered closed were a chancery annex in Washington, where Moscow has a giant embassy complex, and a consular annex in New York.

“The United States has fully implemented the decision by the government of the Russian Federation to reduce the size of our mission in Russia,” State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in a statement. “We believe this action was unwarranted and detrimental to the overall relationship between our countries,” she added, noting that, with the closures ordered, “both countries will remain with three consulates each.”

Putin said 755 diplomatic staff - both Russian and American - would have to stop work by Friday, although the US State Department has not confirmed the number. The number of US diplomatic staff will now be capped at 455, the same number that Russia has in the United States.

It is not clear how many of the US-employed staff losing their jobs will be physically leaving the country, or how many are Russian citizens. The RBK news site cited sources saying that at least 600 are Russian. “We have waited long enough, hoping that the situation would perhaps change for the better,” Putin said when he announced the cuts. “But it seems that even if the situation is changing, it’s not for any time soon.”

On Thursday, Washington expressed hope that the two sides “can avoid further retaliatory actions... and move forward to achieve the stated goal of both of our presidents: improved relations between our two countries.” But the State Department warned: “The United States is prepared to take further action as necessary and as warranted.”

Washington had already announced it would suspend issuing all non-immigrant visas in Russia between August 23 and September 1.

Visa operations at US consulates will remain suspended indefinitely.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Thursday expressed “regret at the escalation of tensions” after the United States told Moscow to shut its consulate in San Francisco.

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson called Lavrov as Washington announced it was ordering Moscow to shut the consulate, the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement.

“In response the minister expressed regret at the escalation of tensions in bilateral relations,” it said.

“Moscow will examin the new measures announced by the Americans in detail after which our reaction will be announced.”

The US State Department ordered Moscow to close the consulate and two annexes in Washington and New York in two days, saying the decision was made “in the spirit of parity” following a Moscow-imposed cap on the US diplomatic presence in Russia.

“The Consulate General will act in accordance with the decision that will be taken by the Russian leadership regarding this decision by the Americans,” the consul in San Francisco Sergei Petrov told RIA-Novosti news agency.

“Right now the foreign ministry will decide on the procedure of the shut down, where people will go, and so forth,” he said.

Russia has had a diplomatic presence in San Francisco since 1852, according to the consulate’s website. It closed in 1924 because of a lack of funds but reopened in 1934 after Washintgon established diplomatic relations with the Soviet Union. </s> Image copyright Getty Images Image caption The closure of the San Francisco consulate leaves just three remaining in the US, a senior administration official says

Russia has been ordered to close its San Francisco consulate and two trade missions in response to "unwarranted" Russian action, the US has said.

The consulate, and annexes in New York and Washington, must close by Saturday.

The US state department's move follows Moscow's reduction of US diplomatic staff in Russia last month.

That in turn followed new US sanctions on Russia over Crimea and alleged election interference, which led to the expulsion of 35 Russian diplomats.

President Barack Obama had ordered those expulsions, along with the closure of two compounds, last December.

Although Russian President Vladimir Putin did not respond initially to that move, with Mr Trump set to assume office, he then announced on 31 July a reduction of 755 US diplomatic staff in Russia, in retaliation for the US sanctions.

Image copyright EPA Image caption The US embassy in Moscow. US staff in Russia have been sizeably reduced

The US diplomats expelled have until this Friday to leave Russia - a day before the US closures of the Russian consulate and two annexes, which are trade missions, must be completed.

A senior administration official said on Thursday that the consulate and the residence attached to it as well as the two trade missions would close but no Russian staff would be required to leave the country.

Russia will be allowed to maintain the properties, but not use them, the official added.

The state department said the US actions were "in the spirit of parity". It blamed Moscow for what it called a downward spiral in bilateral ties, but suggested it wanted an end to the current spat.

"The United States hopes that, having moved toward the Russian Federation's desire for parity, we can avoid further retaliatory actions by both sides and move forward to achieve the stated goal of both our presidents: improved relations between our two countries and increased co-operation on areas of mutual concern," state department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in a statement.

The move leaves each country with three consulates in place, Ms Nauert added.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov spoke to US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in a phone call on Thursday, expressing "regret at the escalation of tensions in bilateral relations".

He said Moscow would study the order and respond accordingly, according to a statement from the Russian foreign ministry.

Mr Lavrov and Mr Tillerson are due to meet in September on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.

Earlier this month, Mr Trump said US relations with Russia were at a "dangerous low" amid a row with Congress over the fresh sanctions against Moscow.

The president, who wanted warmer ties with Russia, had opposed the bill, which included a provision that limits his ability to lift sanctions and forces him to consult Congress first.

Mr Trump has been dogged by claims that Russia tried to sway the election in his favour and several investigations are under way to determine whether anyone from his campaign colluded with Moscow.

But the Kremlin has repeatedly denied interfering and Mr Trump has insisted that there was no collusion, calling the investigations a "witch hunt". </s> WASHINGTON — The Trump administration on Thursday ordered Russia to close a consulate in San Francisco and two diplomatic annexes, in New York and Washington, retaliating against Russia’s order for the United States to reduce its embassy staff in Moscow by 755 people.

“In the spirit of parity invoked by the Russians,” the State Department said in a statement, the United States would require Russia to close the three offices by September 2.

The statement did not say how many employees would be affected by the closings, although 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 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.”

The tit-for-tat response had been expected since earlier this month, when Russia acted after Congress imposed sanctions because of Moscow’s meddling in the 2016 presidential election. </s> The United States demanded that Russia shut down its Consulate General in San Francisco and two other diplomatic entities in New York City and Washington, DC by September 2, the US Department of State said in a press release on Thursday.

 “In the spirit of parity invoked by the Russians, we are requiring the Russian government to close its Consulate General in San Francisco, a chancery annex in Washington, DC, and a consular annex in New York City. These closures will need to be accomplished by September 2,” the release stated.

 The United States has reduced the size of its staff at the US Embassy in Russia by 455 people as instructed by Moscow in July as a response to the 2016 expulsion of 35 Russian diplomats and sanctions against Russia passed by the US Congress in July, the State Department said.

 “The United States has fully implemented the decision by the Government of the Russian Federation to reduce the size of our mission in Russia,” the statement read. “The United States is prepared to take further action as necessary and as warranted.”

Moscow suspended the use of all warehouses in Moscow by the US embassy starting from August 1 following the US Senate’s approval of a new set of sanctions against Russia, Iran and North Korea. </s> WASHINGTON (REUTERS) - The United States is requiring Russia to close its consulate in San Francisco and two annexe buildings in Washington, DC and New York City, the State Department said on Thursday (Aug 31), in response to the Kremlin's decision to shrink the US diplomatic mission in Russia.

Last month, Moscow ordered the United States to cut its diplomatic and technical staff in Russia by more than half, to 455 people, after Congress overwhelmingly approved new sanctions against Russia.

"We believe this action was unwarranted and detrimental to the overall relationship between our countries," State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in a statement on Thursday.

"In the spirit of parity invoked by the Russians, we are requiring the Russian Government to close its Consulate General in San Francisco, a chancery annexe in Washington, DC, and a consular annex in New York City," Nauert said.

"These closures will need to be accomplished by Sept 2." </s> Russia is to expel 60 US diplomats and has ordered the closure of the US consulate in St. Petersburg, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Thursday, in retaliation for a similar move by Washington.

Lavrov, making the announcement in Moscow, said the US ambassador Jon Huntsman had been summoned to the Foreign Ministry to be told of the decision.

The US expelled 60 diplomats on Monday as part of a coordinated global response to the poisoning of a former Russian double agent, Sergei Skripal, and his daughter, Yulia Skripal, in Britain. The British government blames Russia for using a military-grade nerve agent for the poisoning, in the English city of Salisbury on March 4.

More than 20 countries said they would expel more than 100 Russian diplomats over the case.

Russia has firmly denied responsibility and President Vladimir Putin has dismissed it as "delirium." Russia had already been engaged in a tit-for-tat with Britain, with both countries expelling 23 diplomats. </s> President Donald Trump is ordering the expulsion of 60 Russian diplomats and the closure of the Russian consulate in Seattle, Washington, in the wake of the UK nerve agent attack, the White House announced Monday.

The President is taking the action in response to the poisonings of a former Russian double agent and his daughter in England, the administration announced.

Forty-eight of the diplomats work at the Russian embassy and a dozen at the United Nations in New York. They and their families will have seven days to leave the country.

“The United States takes this action in conjunction with our NATO allies and partners around the world in response to Russia’s use of military grade chemical weapons on the soil of the United Kingdom, the latest in this ongoing pattern of destabilizing activities around the world,” White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said.

In December 2016, the US expelled 35 Russian diplomats in response to Russian meddling in the 2016 US presidential election. </s> The United States has told Russia to close its consulate in San Francisco and buildings in Washington and New York that house trade missions, the State Department said on Thursday, in retaliation for Moscow cutting the U.S. diplomatic presence in Russia.

The announcement was the latest in tit-for-tat measures between the two countries that have helped to drive relations to a new post-Cold War low, thwarting hopes on both sides that they might improve after U.S. President Donald Trump took office in January.

Last month, Moscow ordered the United States to cut its diplomatic and technical staff in Russia by more than half, to 455 people to match the number of Russian diplomats in the United States, after Congress overwhelmingly approved new sanctions against Russia. The sanctions were imposed in response to Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election and to punish Russia further for its 2014 annexation of Crimea from Ukraine.

"We believe this action was unwarranted and detrimental to the overall relationship between our countries," State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in a statement on Thursday, adding that the United States had completed the reduction.

"In the spirit of parity invoked by the Russians," Nauert said, the United States has required the Russian government to close its San Francisco consulate and two annexes in Washington, D.C. and New York by Sept. 2.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the decision.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson informed Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov of the closures in a phone call on Thursday, a senior Trump administration official said. The two men plan to meet on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in September, the official said.

Lavrov expressed regret about Washington's decision during the phone call with Tillerson, his ministry said.

"Moscow will closely study the new measures announced by the Americans, after which our reaction will be conveyed," the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement.

The latest U.S. move caps eight months of back-and-forth retaliatory measures between the two countries spanning two U.S. administrations.

In December, the administration of Barack Obama closed two Russian countryside vacation retreats in Maryland and New York, saying the compounds had been used for intelligence-related purposes. The closures were part of a broader response, including the expulsion of 35 suspected Russian spies, to what U.S. officials have called cyber interference by Moscow in the 2016 elections. The Kremlin has denied the allegations.

Trump came into office wanting to improve relations with Russia, a desire that was hamstrung by the election interference allegations. The new sanctions passed by Congress conflicted with Trump's goals, but he grudgingly signed them into law this month.

The United States said last week that it would have to sharply scale back visa services in Russia, a move that will hit Russian business travelers, tourists and students.

The Russian consulate in San Francisco handles work from seven states in the Western United States. There are three other Russian consulates separate from the embassy in Washington. They are in New York, Seattle and Houston.

The consulate in San Francisco is the oldest and most established of Russia's consulates in the United States, the senior Trump administration official told reporters. An official residence at the consulate will also be closed.

No Russian diplomats are being expelled, and the diplomats assigned to San Francisco can be re-assigned to other posts in the United States, the official said.

The Russians can continue to retain ownership of any of the closed facilities, or sell them, but will not be allowed to carry out diplomatic activities there, the official said.

"Even after these closures, Russia will still maintain more diplomatic and consular annexes in the United States than we have in Russia," the official said. "We've chosen to allow the Russian government to maintain some of its annexes in an effort to arrest the downward spiral in our relationship." </s> The Trump administration ordered the expulsion of 60 Russian diplomats on Monday and the closing of the Russian consulate in Seattle in response to the nation’s alleged role in poisoning an ex-spy and his daughter in Great Britain.

The move came in concert with more than a dozen European nations directing Russian diplomats to leave their soil.

“This is the largest expulsion of Russian intelligence officers in United States history,” said U.S. Ambassador to Russia Jon Huntsman, according to The Associated Press.

On March 4, former spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter were attacked with a nerve agent in Salisbury, England, leaving both in critical condition. British authorities determined the agent was Russian in origin.

In response, Great Britain expelled 23 diplomats. British Prime Minister Theresa May said 18 countries have joined her nation in ousting an additional 100 Russia spies.

The White House issued a statement early Monday morning explaining the actions the U.S. was taking.

“Today President Donald J. Trump ordered the expulsion of dozens of Russian intelligence officers from the United States and the closure of the Russian consulate in Seattle due to its proximity to one of our submarine bases and Boeing,” the statement read.

“The United States takes this action in conjunction with our NATO allies and partners around the world in response to Russia’s use of a military-grade chemical weapon on the soil of the United Kingdom, the latest in its ongoing pattern of destabilizing activities around the world,” it continued.

Twelve of the 60 ordered to leave the United States are from Russia’s mission to the United Nations.

“The United States and many of our friends are sending a clear message that we will not stand for Russia’s misconduct,” U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley said. “Here in New York, Russia uses the United Nations as a safe haven for dangerous activities within our own borders.”

The Trump administration has ordered the Russian consulate in Seattle closed by April 2.

RELATED: Nunes: We Found Links Between Clinton, the Democrat Party, and Russia

According to the AP, Monday’s directive marked the largest expulsion of Russians in history, eclipsing the 1986 Reagan administration order of the removal of 55 individuals accused of engaging in espionage.

In December 2016, the Obama administration kicked out 35 suspected Russian intelligence operative in retaliation for Moscow’s attempts to influence the U.S. presidential election.

On Monday, multiple European nations stood in solidarity with Britain, as well, in demanding Russians out.

“We remain critical of the actions of the Russian government,” European Council President Donald Tusk said as he announced the actions by 14 European Union countries to expel Russian diplomats, The Washington Post reported. “Additional measures, including further expulsions within the common E.U. framework, are not to be excluded in the coming days and weeks.”

“Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Denmark, the Czech Republic, Finland, Romania, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Ukraine and Canada all announced that they would expel diplomats or intelligence agents,” according to The Post.

Moscow appeared to make light of the U.S. actions, hinting it will be taking retaliatory steps. The Russian embassy tweeted a poll asking users to vote which U.S. consulate should be closed in their country: Vladivostok, Yekaterinburg or St. Petersburg.

In more serious tweet, the Russian embassy urged the U.S. to help calm the British government.

“Russia U.S. relations are so multilayered,” a statement accompanying the tweet read. “Strategic stability of the entire world depends on it. They should not be taken hostage by clearly staged stories.”

What do you think? Scroll down to comment below. </s> The United States expelled 35 Russian diplomats and closed two Russian compounds in New York and Maryland in response to a campaign of harassment against American diplomats in Moscow, a senior U.S. official said on Thursday.

The move against the diplomats from the Russian embassy in Washington and consulate in San Francisco is part of a series of actions announced on Thursday to punish Russia for a campaign of intimidation of American diplomats in Moscow and interference in the U.S. election.

The Obama administration was also announcing on Thursday a series of retaliatory measures against Russia for hacking into U.S. political institutions and individuals and leaking information to help President-elect Donald Trump and other Republican candidates, two U.S. officials said.

Trump, who takes office on Jan. 20, has called for better relations with Russia. It was not clear if he will be able to immediately overturn the measures announced on Thursday.

The Russian diplomats would have 72 hours to leave the United States, the official said. Access to the two compounds, which are used by Russian officials for intelligence gathering, will be denied to all Russian officials as of noon on Friday, the senior U.S. official added.
The Putin administration closes the United States consulate in Saint Petersburg and expels 60 U.S. diplomats from Russia as a retaliatory measure to the closing of the Russian consulate in Seattle, Washington.