Two days to pack suitcases: US ambassador shocked by Russian retaliation

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Russia has officially announced retaliatory measures against the US with the expulsion of Russian diplomats and the closure of the Russian consulate in Seattle. As you know, on March 26, the United States decided to expel 48 Russian diplomats and 12 employees of the Russian diplomatic mission to the UN from the country.





It was also decided to close the Russian consulate in Seattle due to the fact that it is located near one of the bases of the American submarine fleet. Washington motivated the expulsion of diplomats in solidarity with the United Kingdom, where, under strange circumstances, the former Russian intelligence agent - defector Sergei Skripal and his daughter were poisoned.

Russia did not start a diplomatic war, but it was necessary to respond to the demarche of the United States. President Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov shortly before the Foreign Ministry’s decision announced that Russia would promptly prepare adequate responses. In the morning it became known that the Foreign Ministry was proposing a US mirror response - the expulsion of diplomats and the closure of one of the American consulates, which was announced to President Putin. Of course, the head of state gave his consent.

Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov announced the closure of the US Consulate General in St. Petersburg. The US ambassador to the Russian Federation, John Huntsman, was invited to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where Deputy Minister Sergey Ryabkov told him the contents of our country's response. Russian and foreign correspondents waited at the diplomat’s exit, but the American ambassador, being depressed, silently walked past the reporters, not answering a single question.

In addition to closing the consulate in St. Petersburg, Russia is expelling 60 American diplomats from the country - these are 58 employees of the American embassy in Moscow and 2 employees of the US Consulate General in Yekaterinburg. US diplomats declared persona non grata for activities incompatible with diplomatic status. Until April 5, 2018, they are ordered to leave the territory of the Russian Federation. Washington was given only two days to close the consulate in Petersburg. By the way, American diplomats are becoming less and less in Russia - so, back in 2017, at the request of the Russian government, 727 employees of the embassy and consulate general were expelled from the country. After that, the US ambassador complained about the lack of specialists for the normal functioning of the US Consulate General in the Russian capital.

The mirror response to the diplomatic demarches of the United States, Great Britain and other states is the most reasonable thing that Russia can do in this situation. It hardly makes sense to provoke further tensions in relations with tougher measures, but the decision to close the consulate and expel a similar number of embassy and consulate employees seems quite fair.

It is not clear whether the United States, Britain and their allies will take other unfriendly actions against Russia. But the US ambassador to Russia, John Huntsman, does not rule out that Washington will decide to seize Russian assets in the United States. Shortly before that, British Secretary of Defense Gavin Williamson said that the British authorities issued an arrest warrant for Russian property whose origin is unknown or cannot be established. But if the provocations against our country continue, the answer will not take long:

The US Ambassador is indicated that in the event of continued hostile actions against Russian diplomatic and consular institutions in the United States, additional measures will be taken with respect to personnel and facilities of the US Embassy and Consulates General in Russia

- said in an official statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation.
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12 comments
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  1. DPN
    +1
    29 March 2018 21: 33
    The answer is decent, it had to be done before the election of Trump.
    1. -1
      30 March 2018 03: 19
      Decent answer? ........... wassat ....do not make me laugh!

      All these are half measures ........
      1. +1
        30 March 2018 08: 56
        And what, does an elementary hypothetically existing particle also have eggs? This is what size they are, and do their sizes give the right to be called a man?
        1. The comment was deleted.
      2. +1
        30 March 2018 09: 28
        Quote: Bazon Hicks
        Decent answer? ........... wassat .... do not tell my gray eggs!

        All these are half measures ........

        The mirror response to the diplomatic demarches of the United States, Great Britain and other states is the most reasonable thing that Russia can do in this situation.

        The mirror answer is weakness. Because we are spread rot because we mirror answer. Until we respond with dignity, and not in a mirror, they will mock us.
        We won’t earn respect (do we need it?). So let them at least be afraid.
        1. +2
          30 March 2018 11: 43
          Quote: BecmepH
          The mirror answer is weakness. Because we are spread rot because we mirror answer. Until we respond with dignity, and not in a mirror, they will mock us.
          We won’t earn respect (do we need it?). So let them at least be afraid.

          And how do you propose - to immediately embed Washington with a vigorous baton? wink
          If we could respond with anything serious at all, we would have already done so. And now we have only a couple of possibilities such as rocket engines for LV, and a ban on transcontinental flights for US carriers. But in both cases, it’s a shot in your leg too. In the first case, the supply of our engines financially supports our industry and does not allow a quick concentration of forces to replace these engines. Roughly - forbid - they will quickly make their own.
          On the second occasion: American airlines will transfer the flights to European and Asian partners by mutual agreement - and that’s all. There will be no use. Here is the country's reputation as a reliable partner will suffer. hi
  2. +3
    29 March 2018 22: 26
    It would be necessary to give a shorter period for the expulsion of American spies, similar to what was given to our diplomats under Obama.
    1. -3
      30 March 2018 03: 21
      Right.......
      And "hit" the most sick for the s ... MONEY !!!
      Gazprom Eurobonds - who bought it?
      Putin will not trample against his masters ...... 100% .......
  3. The comment was deleted.
  4. +3
    30 March 2018 08: 03
    It was necessary to close in Yekaterinburg.
    1. +1
      30 March 2018 09: 14
      Close up ......

      Give me time! laughing
  5. +4
    30 March 2018 09: 39
    Russia makes itself noble, everything is drawn to the fact that they will be noble. Americans and British send our diplomats quickly and efficiently. You must be tough and fast. For a world criminal, no laws have been written. They never observe them. They do everything rudely and never stand on ceremony with us. They only announced expulsion to us - measures must be taken immediately. They felt our weakness, and do what they want. Who saw the bandits getting better? On the contrary, they will do to make you worse.
  6. +5
    30 March 2018 10: 40
    In the center of Moscow there is a magnificent 19th-century architecture mansion - the residence of the US Ambassador. Why is this building not seized?
  7. +2
    31 March 2018 13: 37
    Why did they leave the American consulate in the center of Russia in the city of Sverdlovsk? Why didn’t they return the name of Stalingrad to the most famous city on the Volga?