Politics
17:08, 05-Sep-2017
Putin threatens to expel 155 more US diplomats in tit-for-tat feud
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The tit-for-tat diplomatic battle between Russia and the United States took another turn on Tuesday when President Vladimir Putin threatened to expel up to 155 more US diplomatic personnel from his country.
"We reserve the right to make a decision on how many American diplomats there are in Moscow. But we will not do that for the moment," Putin told a press conference at the conclusion of the BRICS Summit in Xiamen, southeast China.
Russian President Vladimir Putin speaking at the conclusion of the BRICS Summit in Xiamen, southeast China on September 5, 2017. /AFP Photo
Russian President Vladimir Putin speaking at the conclusion of the BRICS Summit in Xiamen, southeast China on September 5, 2017. /AFP Photo
Moscow had previously ordered the US to reduce its diplomatic presence to 455 people by September 1, the same number that Russia has in the US.
The 455 Russian diplomats in the US includes 155 people who work for Russia's mission to the UN in New York, Putin said, indicating Moscow could further cut the number of US diplomats to 300: "It's 455 minus 155."
On Saturday Russia vacated its consulate in San Francisco as well as two other diplomatic buildings in New York and Washington, DC, after the US ordered the move, the latest twist in a lengthy feud.
Russia demanded Sunday that the US rethink its shuttering of Moscow's diplomatic premises, insisting that Washington bore sole responsibility for worsening ties after the "hostile act".
Source(s): AFP