U.S. to halt function at two consulates in Russia soon after COVID-19 drawdown

MOSCOW (Reuters) – The United States is halting function at two consulates in Russia, the Condition Department said, citing basic safety and protection problems at the facilities the place functions experienced been curtailed over COVID-19.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in consultation with Ambassador John Sullivan made the decision to shut the consulate in Vladivostok in the far east and suspend operations at the consulate in Yekaterinburg, a Condition Department representative claimed in a statement emailed to Reuters on Saturday.

The determination, aspect of “ongoing initiatives to be certain the harmless and protected procedure of the U.S. diplomatic mission in the Russian Federation,” did not have an effect on Russian consulates in the United States, the assertion claimed, devoid of supplying comprehensive reasons for the move.

Asked this 7 days about Russian media stories that the two consulates could possibly be closed, the U.S. embassy in Moscow reported it had suspended functions at the Vladivostok consulate and rolled back operations in Yekaterinburg in March simply because of the pandemic.

U.S.-Russia ties have been strained by challenges ranging from conflicts in Syria to Ukraine, as perfectly as allegations of Russian interference in U.S. politics, which Moscow denies.

Hackers thought to be doing the job for Russia are accused of extensive-ranging hacks of U.S. govt agencies and a private organizations. Pompeo reported on Friday it was “pretty clearly” apparent that Russia was associated in the assaults that have sent personal computer community security teams globally scrambling to restrict the damage.

The Kremlin denies Russian involvement.

At his annual news conference on Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin reported he hoped U.S. President-elect Joe Biden would assist solve some of the hard problems in relations concerning Moscow and Washington.