Officials: US mulls return of Russian diplomatic compounds | AP/ABC News – June 1, 2017 |

From Washington with Love …

Moscow cancels meeting with U.S. diplomat after sanctions | Reuters – June 21, 2017 |

Russia has canceled a high-level meeting between Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov and US Undersecretary of State Thomas Shannon in response to Washington’s new sanctions against Moscow.

Ryabkov, in a statement posted on the site of Russia’s Foreign Ministry, accused the United States of failing to propose anything tangible to improve relations.

“Previous multiple waves of American sanctions haven’t achieved the result which their initiators had hoped for. Any new attempts to make Russia ‘bow down’ will be just as futile,” the Russian official stated.

The statement also said the move “is a continuation of the trend set by the Obama administration aimed at ruining relations between our countries.” It referred to the administration of former US President Barack Obama.  

The sanctions seriously undermine Washington’s assertions that it wants dialogue with Moscow, the statement said.

The Russian diplomat was meant to be meeting Shannon in St. Petersburg on Friday to discuss “problems in bilateral ties.”

Ryabkov has also called the new sanctions a “political gift” to Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, who was on a visit to the United States.

Washington recently added 38 individuals and organizations to its list of those sanctioned over alleged Russian activities in Ukraine.

Moscow May Expel About 30 US Diplomats, Freeze Some US Assets in Russia

Two diplomatic compounds belonging to Russia were closed down at the end of 2016 as part of the sanctions introduced by Barack Obama’s administration over Russia’s alleged interference in the US presidential election, which Moscow has repeatedly denied.

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    “There is a preliminary agreement on holding a meeting
    between Russian Deputy Prime Minister Sergey Ryabkov
    and US Under Secretary of State Thomas Shannon in
    St. Petersburg. If the compromise is not found there, we
    will have to take such measures,” a source in the Russian
    Foreign Ministry told the Izvestiya newspaper.

Last year, the newspaper reported that Russia was considering freezing the US Embassy house in northwestern Moscow as well as a warehouse also located in the Russian capital.

The issue of the Russian diplomatic property in the United States was raised during the last week’s meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Donald Trump. Next week, the problem will be discussed by Ryabkov and Shannon.

Once upon a time …

Anna Chapman – A blogger @BooMan
Red Menace: Cultural Exchange and Spies

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