Russia's Reaction to New Sanctions: 'America Should Reduce Its Diplomats'

In response to the recent sanctions imposed by the U.S. Congress against Moscow, the Russian Foreign Ministry on Friday, August 6, requested the U.S. government to reduce the number of its diplomats and staff in Russia. The ministry also announced that a residence and a 'warehouse' belonging to the U.S. government in the country would be confiscated. Moscow's actions on Friday are a response to the new sanctions legislation against Vladimir Putin's government, which was included in a package of sanctions alongside two other countries, Iran and North Korea, on Thursday. Meanwhile, one day earlier, Vladimir Putin had stated that his country's official reaction would wait until the original version of the sanctions was seen, meaning after Donald Trump's signature. The new sanctions plan, following approval in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate, has now been sent to the White House for the President's signature. On August 5, Putin criticized the sanctions and the atmosphere of 'Russia-phobia' that he claims has been created in the U.S., stating that his government would wait to see the final version of the bill before reacting. However, the Russian Foreign Ministry has now officially requested the U.S. to reduce the number of its diplomats and staff at its embassy in Moscow and its consulates in Russia. The ministry's statement noted that the U.S. must reduce its personnel in Russia to the number of Russian diplomats in the U.S., which the French news agency reported as '455 people.' The United States has until September 1 to reduce its personnel and also to hand over a residence and a warehouse to the Russian government. The Russian Foreign Ministry, under Sergei Lavrov, has also warned the U.S. that if it retaliates against this reaction, it will face a swift response from Russia. The statement on Friday can be considered the first unfriendly diplomatic action by Russia during Donald Trump's presidency. The nature of Russia's reaction also somewhat resembles the last U.S. sanctions against Russia during Barack Obama's presidency. In the final days of Obama's presidency, his administration ordered the expulsion of 35 Russian diplomats from the U.S. and sanctioned two Russian intelligence agencies. Obama’s officials also closed two Russian-owned buildings in New York and Maryland at that time. U.S. intelligence and security agencies, along with the Obama administration, accused Vladimir Putin of personally directing efforts to interfere in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, including cyberattacks against Democrats. This accusation remains upheld by U.S. intelligence agencies and Democrats, leading to at least three official investigations into Donald Trump's campaign and his associates. The new congressional resolution also states that Russia is being sanctioned for 'interfering in U.S. elections' and for its 'role' in the ongoing crises in Ukraine and Syria. Russia denies interfering in U.S. elections and in Ukraine's internal affairs. The country annexed Crimea from Ukraine, which has faced opposition from the United Nations. Moscow claims it intervened in Syria at the request of the current government and its representative at the UN, to combat terrorist groups.