Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced that 755 American diplomats will be removed from Russia by Sept. 1, The New York Times reports. This confirmation follows Russia’s seizing of two American diplomatic properties within the country and its recent order of the U.S. Embassy to cut its staff sooner rather than later.
“We waited for quite some time that maybe something will change for the better, had such hope that the situation will somehow change, but judging by everything, if it changes, it will not be soon,” Putin said of his country’s relationship with the United States in a TV interview on a Russian station.
Putin’s decision is a result of the U.S. Congress’s sanctions on Russia, which would prevent President Donald Trump from treating the country on his own terms. According to CNN, the hope behind the new laws was to improve relations between the States and Russia. “The near unanimous votes for the sanctions legislation in Congress represent the strong will of the American people to see Russia take steps to improve relations with the United States,” Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said. “We hope that there will be cooperation between our two countries on major global issues and these sanctions will no longer be necessary.”
With this announcement in place, there’s sure to be even more news about the United States’ relationship with Russia before the summer ends.