The decision to close the Russian consulate was made by the US President himself.

(Baonghean.vn)- On August 31, according to a White House official, the closure of the Russian consulate in San Francisco and two commercial facilities in Washington and New York was the sole decision of US President Donald Trump, and would not be discussed with Russian leaders.

Asked whether Trump had discussed the latest steps with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, the RIA news agency quoted the unnamed official as saying: “President Trump has no plans to discuss this decision. His national security team presented the options to the president, and he made the decision himself.”

US President Donald Trump. Photo: AP

Earlier the same day, the US State Department announced that it had asked Russia to close its Consulate General in San Francisco, California, and two trade missions in Washington and New York City, in response to the Kremlin's request that the US reduce the number of diplomatic staff in Russia.

Last month, Moscow asked Washington to cut its diplomatic and technical staff in Russia by more than half to 455 people, after the US Congress backed new sanctions against Russia.

Russian Consulate in San Francisco, California. Photo: AP

In addition to closing the Consulate General in San Francisco, the US also asked Russia to reduce the number of diplomatic staff at the Embassy in Washington DC and the Consulate General in New York. According to Ms. Nauert, with the above reciprocal move, each country will have 3 Consulates General with a total of 455 diplomatic staff.

Russia has had a diplomatic presence in San Francisco since 1852. The Russian consulate in the city was closed in 1924 due to lack of funds and reopened in 1934 after Washington established diplomatic relations with the former Soviet Union./.

Lan Ha

(According to Sputnik)