Russia Promises Strong, Measured Answer to US Order

Russia is promising¹ to answer a Trump² administration order to close three Russian diplomatic offices in the United States.

But Russia also said it was not likely to take steps to increase diplomatic tensions between the two countries.

On Thursday, the administration ordered Russia to close its consulate⁴ in San Francisco and trade offices in New York City and Washington, D.C.

U.S. officials gave the Russians 48 hours to obey the order. They said the move was in reaction to a Russian demand that the U.S. sharply reduce the size of its diplomatic workforce⁵ in Russia.

"The United States is prepared to take further action as necessary and as warranted," State Department official Heather Nauert said in a statement. She added that the U.S. hoped both countries could now move towards “improved relations” and “increased cooperation.”

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Friday that his country would react with firmness to the U.S. order. He added that the Russian government needs time to study the directive and to decide a plan of action. Lavrov spoke⁶ in a meeting with students at Russia’s top diplomacy⁷ school.

Other Russian officials said both sides need to be careful.

Yuri Ushakov is the top foreign policy to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Ushakov told Russian news agencies that the government “regrets” the latest U.S. move and needs to “think carefully about how we could respond.”

The U.S. announcement was the latest development in a diplomatic “tit-for-tat” between the two sides. The dispute began early last month when President Donald Trump signed into law a sanctions bill that Congress had passed. The measure was aimed at punishing the Russian government for interfering⁸ with the U.S. election last year.

The Russian government reacted quickly to the sanctions. It made the United States cut its embassy and consulate workforce in Russia down to 455.

In recent years, the two countries have had deep disagreements about Russian involvement in the 2016 elections, and other issues, such as Ukraine and Syria.

Under President Trump, relations have gotten worse. U.S. officials are still investigating whether Trump’s election campaign worked with Russia to get him elected.

I’m Anne Ball.

Words in This Story

consulate – n. the building where a consul³ lives and works

respond – v. to say or write something as an answer to a question or request

tit-for-tat – n. to say or write something as an answer to a question or request

sanctions – n. an action that is taken or an order that is given to force a country to obey international laws by limiting or stopping trade with that country, by not allowing economic aid for that country, etc. — usually plural

1 promising   

adj.有希望的，有前途的

参考例句：

• The results of the experiments are very promising.实验的结果充满了希望。
• We're trying to bring along one or two promising young swimmers.我们正设法培养出一两名有前途的年轻游泳选手。

2 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

3 consul   

n.领事；执政官

参考例句：

• A consul's duty is to help his own nationals.领事的职责是帮助自己的同胞。
• He'll hold the post of consul general for the United States at Shanghai.他将就任美国驻上海总领事(的职务)。

4 consulate   

n.领事馆

参考例句：

• The Spanish consulate is the large white building opposite the bank.西班牙领事馆是银行对面的那栋高大的白色建筑物。
• The American consulate was a magnificent edifice in the centre of Bordeaux.美国领事馆是位于波尔多市中心的一座宏伟的大厦。

5 workforce   

n.劳动大军，劳动力

参考例句：

• A large part of the workforce is employed in agriculture.劳动人口中一大部分受雇于农业。
• A quarter of the local workforce is unemployed.本地劳动力中有四分之一失业。

6 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

7 diplomacy   

n.外交；外交手腕，交际手腕

参考例句：

• The talks have now gone into a stage of quiet diplomacy.会谈现在已经进入了“温和外交”阶段。
• This was done through the skill in diplomacy. 这是通过外交手腕才做到的。

8 interfering   

adj. 妨碍的 动词interfere的现在分词

参考例句：

• He's an interfering old busybody! 他老爱管闲事！
• I wish my mother would stop interfering and let me make my own decisions. 我希望我母亲不再干预，让我自己拿主意。