Russia orders 755 American diplomats to leave the country
Moscow will also seize two American properties in its country, stepping up the confrontation after sanctions were placed against it.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that the United States needs to cut its diplomatic staff in his country, after the US had approved sanctions against them. He said 755 diplomatic staff need to return to the US by September 1. Two US diplomatic properties in the country will also be seized, Reuters reported.
“Because more than 1,000 workers – diplomats and support staff – were working and are still working in Russia, 755 must stop their activity in the Russian Federation,” Putin said. Moscow added that it might consider more measures against the US.
A US state department worker on Sunday called Russia’s decision regrettable. “We are assessing the impact of such a limitation and how we will respond to it,” he said, according to The Guardian.
The sanctions against Russia have not been signed by US President Donald Trump yet, and are, in part, a response to reports from intelligence agencies that Moscow interfered in the presidential election in November last year.
