Russia threatens retaliation in U.S. diplomatic row
MOSCOW -- Russia's Foreign Ministry said on Friday that it would have to expel U.S. diplomats and shut down some U.S. compounds in Russia if the United States does not reopen two Russian recreational estates in the U.S. that were shut down last year.
In response to reports of Russian meddling in the presidential election, the outgoing Obama administration last year expelled 35 Russian officials from the U.S. and shut down two Russian estates that President Barack Obama said were being used for spy operations.
CBS News has reported that when U.S. officials entered shuttered Russian compounds last year they found damaged materials that could have been used in intelligence gathering and that former officials say could have been useful in the ongoing investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.
President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin last week discussed the two diplomatic compounds but did not reach an agreement.
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told reporters on Friday that Moscow "will have to take reciprocal measures" if the issue is not resolved.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov and U.S. Undersecretary of State Tom Shannon are scheduled to meet on Monday for much-anticipated talks that Moscow abruptly canceled last month in response to new Ukraine-related sanctions announced by the Trump administration. Russia is hoping that Shannon will have "detailed suggestions on how to resolve the situation" with the Russian property in the U.S., Zakharova said.
The State Department wants a deal that could include restarting U.S. adoptions of Russian children. It also has to deal with concerns at home - the FBI and some U.S. intelligence professionals fear giving back the sites would aid Russian spy efforts.