Russia Says New U.S. Sanctions Forced It to Respond
Mr. Peskov said it was up to the Americans to decide how to reduce their staff to 455, matching the size of Russia’s
diplomatic staff in the United States, including those at the Russian Mission to the United Nations in New York.
By NEIL MacFARQUHARJULY 31, 2017
MOSCOW — Even as it sought to punish the United States for imposing new sanctions by forcing the mass dismissal of employees from
American diplomatic posts in Russia, the Kremlin left the door open on Monday for President Trump to avoid further escalation.
In response to Russian hacking of the American election, President Obama expelled 35 Russian diplomats in late December, giving them 72 hours to leave the country,
and he ordered the seizure of two diplomatic country estates, which the United States said had been used for espionage as well as for recreation.
Mr. Trump had talked during his campaign of improving ties with Russia
and had praised Mr. Putin, and the Kremlin had expected the face-to-face meeting of the presidents to mark the start of a new era.
Mr. Putin has denied any Russian interference in the American election, saying
that anti-Russian sentiment in the United States was being used as a weapon in an internal political battle.
A State Department inspector general’s report in 2013, the last concrete numbers publicly available, said there were
934 "locally employed" staff members at the Moscow Embassy and three consulates, out of a total staff of 1,279.
United States said that I look at who has a green paper in their hands and that means they got a no.