Moscow reserves the right to further cut the number of American diplomatic staff in his country, Russian President Vladimir Putin says.
President Putin made remarks at a press conference after a BRICs summit in the Chinese city of Xiamen on Tuesday.
“We reserve the right to take a decision on the number of US diplomats in Moscow. But we won’t do that for now. Let’s wait and see how the situation develops further,” the Russian president stressed.
This came after Washington targeted three more Russian facilities on US soil.
Putin further described as “boorish” and “unprecedented” Washington’s actions towards Russia’s diplomatic facilities in the US, saying he would order the Foreign Ministry to sue the US authorities over “violation of Russia’s property rights.”
“This is a clear violation of Russia’s property rights. Therefore, for a start, I will order the Foreign Ministry to go to court - and let’s see just how efficient the much-praised US judiciary is,” he added.
Washington seized control over three Russian diplomatic posts in the US on Saturday amid strong protests by Moscow.
The US move to shut down Russia’s consulate post in San Francisco along with two trade posts in Washington and New York came in retaliation for Moscow’s last month decision to significantly reduce American diplomatic staff in Russia.