US expels 35 Russian diplomats, closes 2 Russian compounds
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - 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.
“By imposing costs on the Russian diplomats in the United States, by denying them access to the two facilities, we hope the Russian government reevaluates its own actions, which have impeded the ability and safety of our own embassy personnel in Russia,” the official said.
The U.S. official declined to name the Russian diplomats who would be affected, although it is understood that Russia’s ambassador to the United States, Sergei Kislyak, will not be one of those expelled.
(Reporting by Lesley Wroughton; Editing by Yara Bayoumy and Alistair Bell)
Read the original article on Reuters. Copyright 2016. Follow Reuters on Twitter.
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So Putin just had a meeting with his people and spoke of how they have all their nukes ready to go. It was in Russian of course, but it was translated by MEMRI.org. Is he just sabre-rattling or making plans of war? It really seems a little unwise for US to retaliate with expelling embassy personnel, rather than something more diplomatic. Oh yeah, that’s right- the US prez isn’t a diplomat - he’s a Chicago thug organizer. Yep, that’s how he’s run the US presidency. He’s now out-mafia-ing the Russians. I think he’s in way over his head. What do y’all think?
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I think Alex Jones goy it right..Barry Soetoro (a.k.a. Barack Hussein Obama) is a Snot Nosed Punk!
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