White House: Trump gave order to close Russian consulate
White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders announced that it was Donald Trump who made the decision and gave the order to close the Russian consulate in San Francisco and the diplomatic buildings in Washington and New York.
“Yes, this decision was made by the president,” she said in response to reporters’ questions at a press-briefing.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov discussed the new restrictions with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and said that Moscow will look over the United States’ requirements and then announce their reaction.
Earlier US State Department Spokesperson Heather Nauert announced the United States’ response measures to Russia’s reduction in American diplomatic personnel. As reported on the State Department’s website, the Russian general consulate in San Francisco, California, as well as two diplomatic facilities in New York and Washington are to be closed. The American government is demanding that the mentioned departments terminate their operations by September 2. The White House noted that the closing of the embassies does not entail the deportation of the diplomats, and Russia has the right to reassign them within US territory.