Putin hints at next move in U.S. diplomatic face-off
MOSCOW -- Russian President Vladimir Putin refrained from directly criticizing President Donald Trump at a news conference in China on Tuesday, but he criticized the White House's decision to shutter Russian diplomatic outposts in the U.S., and said he could order more American diplomats out of Russia.
Speaking at a news conference during a summit in China on Tuesday, Putin called the order to close three Russian facilities in the U.S. -- the San Francisco consulate and trade missions in New York and Washington -- a "gross violation of property rights of the Russian Federation."
He said he would "instruct the foreign minister to go to court. Let's see how effective the U.S. courts are."
In addition to the threat of a legal complaint in U.S. courts, Putin left open the possibility of expelling more U.S. diplomats from Russian territory. He said Russians working at United Nations headquarters in New York should not be included in the overall headcount inside the U.S.
The U.S. and Russia have expelled hundreds of each other's diplomatic staff this year as tension between the Trump administration and Moscow mounts. Putin pointed to the principle of parity; the agreement that each country should allow an equal number of the other's diplomatic staff to live in their territory.
"Strictly speaking, if we want it to be parity-based, it's not 455 (number currently in each country). You have to subtract 150 (Russian U.N. staff), so we reserve the right to make this decision," Putin said. "We may reduce the number of U.S. diplomats in Russia even further, by 155."
But the Russian leader appeared to leave the diplomatic ball in the Trump administration's court, adding: "we are not going to take this step right now. We will see how things proceed first."
The Trump administration ordered the closure of the three Russian properties last week. It was the latest in a series of escalating retaliatory measures between the former Cold War foes.
Putin said the U.S. had a right to close consulates but "it was done in such a rude way."
"It is hard to hold a dialogue with people who mix Austria with Australia," he continued, an apparent reference to a decade-old gaffe by George W. Bush, who during a 2007 visit to Sydney referred to Austrian troops when he meant Australian troops.
"The American nation, America is truly a great country and a great people if they can tolerate such a big number of people with such a low level of political culture," Putin said.
Putin dismissed as "naive" a question about whether he was disappointed in Mr. Trump as a U.S. leader. In comments carried by Russian news agencies, Putin said Mr. Trump is "not my bride, and I'm not his groom."
Asked how Russia would feel if the U.S. leader were to be impeached, Putin said it would be "absolutely wrong" for him to discuss domestic U.S. politics.
Russian officials cheered Mr. Trump when he was elected last year, and Putin praised him as someone who wanted to improve ties with Russia. However, further U.S. sanctions on Russia and the U.S. decision to close the Russian diplomatic outposts have raised concerns that the two countries remain far apart.
