US orders closure of Russia’s consulate, trade mission offices
MOSCOW, Sep 1 (PRIME) -- The U.S. has ordered Russia to close a consulate general and official residence in San Francisco and trade mission offices in New York and Washington, U.S. Department of State spokesperson Heather Nauert said in a statement and a high-ranking official of the department told reporters 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 2 September,” she said.
The high-ranked official said that the order includes closure of the trade mission offices of Russia in New York and Washington.
In July, Moscow ordered the United States to cut its diplomatic and technical staff in Russia by more than half, to 455 people, after the U.S. Congress overwhelmingly approved new sanctions against Russia.
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