Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has said Monday that the United States will respond to Russia’s government’s move to cut American diplomatic staff in Russia by over 700, according to POLITICO reports.
Tillerson promised the U.S. response after his meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov Sunday. The U.S. is yet to decide on what retaliatory steps it would take, only that those steps would be taken by Sept. 1.
Last month, President Putin ordered the 755 person reduction of the American diplomatic staff in response to the sanctions Congress passed targeting Russia, Iran and North Korea with President Trump signing the bill last Wednesday despite what he described as the bill’s Constitutional flaws.
Tillerson said the Russians showed “some willingness” during the meeting to begin discussions on putting an end to the violence in Eastern Ukraine. Tillerson also said, the U.S. has been purposefully deliberate in its negotiations regarding Ukraine, ensuring that no party feels cut out of the process.
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