Putin slashing number of US diplomats in Russia by 755 people

ABC NEWS ^

[navysealdad]

Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a television interview that the U.S. must cut the size of its diplomatic force in his country by more than half, from about 1,210 to 455.

Putin said Sunday that the cut will make the size of the U.S. diplomatic mission in his country equal to that of Russia's diplomatic corps in the U.S.

"The personnel of the U.S. diplomatic missions in Russia will be cut by 755 people and will now equal the number of the Russian diplomatic personnel in the United States, 455 people on each side," Putin said in an interview on the Rossiya 1 network.

[JimSEA]

North Korea may well have reached its current level of ICBM proficiency thanks to Moscow. From a CNBC article: "He added, "I wouldn't be surprised if in the months and years to come that the Russians were to reach out and really work with the North Koreans in a much greater extent." A Tuesday report from South Korean newspaper Chosun Ilbo said Russian exports to North Korea essentially doubled in the first five months of 2017, according to data from the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency, a South Korean government-supported organization. About 90 percent of the exports were energy related. Russia exports coal to North Korea as well as jet fuel, trucks and other goods. Moscow also helps Pyongyang by employing about 50,000 laborers from North Korea, who work in timber and construction jobs in Russia. That is a source of hard-currency income for the regime led by Kim Jong Un and helps fund its weapons programs. "Moscow is fast emerging as a powerful backer of Pyongyang at a time when even China seems to be having second thoughts, and has been at the forefront of blocking discussion of further sanctions in the UN Security Council," said Chosun Ilbo." CNBC Article

[CottonBall]

That was funny :)

[bgill]

I’d like to know which one “lost” my passport out of his/her diplomatic pouch.

[lodi90]

If Putin wants to be an irrelevant backwater I’m sure POTUS will have no problem obliging him.

[dfwgator]

Anything more useless than a “diplomat”?

[ealgeone]

755 of them?

[Rome2000]

What are they doing?

If what I have seen is any indication, lots of shucking and jiving, plus taking a day off every week, and lots of vacations and half days.

Lots of pushing paper from one side of the desk to the other and writing lots of reports and filling out spreadsheets about moving paper from one side of the desk to the other.

A perfect career in the bureaucracy involves accomplishing absolutely NOTHING for 20-25 years and then collecting a pension.

I am absolutely serious too.

[grania]

hmmmmm.....does this help President Trump? Perhaps Putin knows what Deep State coup members are actually spies in Russia.

[ought-six]

The former Soviet Union and now Russia stocked the U.S. with spies, and most of them were NOT associated with the so-called diplomatic corps (which, of course, included KGB and GRU personnel). China has done the same thing. There are untold scores of Chinese spies in the U.S.

[Cen-Tejas]

Exactly, thank you Mr. Putin.............keep it up!

[ichabod1]

If that’s what Mr. Putin wants, then that is that. I’m sure he knows what he’s doing.

[Krosan]

This 1200 is the whole staff not just the diplomats. It includes janitors and translators and receptionists and whatever else. About 900 of these are Russian nationals.

[dfwgator]

Why do they need so many?

[Magnatron]

The Democrats and GOPe are going to be responsible for pushing this country into another World War.

...and I think they’re happy with that.

[wastedyears]

I thought Trump was the one that sets foreign policy, more so than congress.

[Krosan]

I don’t know. This article (http://edition.cnn.com/2013/05/09/politics/btn-diplomatic-presence/index.html) says there were 48,000 all over the world in 2008 (11,000 Americans and 37,000 local hires), so 1200 for a large country like Russia doesn’t seem out of the ordinary.

[dfwgator]

Well in that case, it’s a good start.

[McGruff]

[a fool in paradise]

Considering Hitlery Rotten Clinton used the US embassy in Libya to provide aid and comfort to the militant seditionists who eventually overthrew and murdered Gaddafi (with HRC’s war criminal gleeful support, “we came, we saw, HE DIED ha hah ha!”), it would be wise for all nations of the world to close US embassies. Her actions were completely outside of “diplomatic relations”.

[a fool in paradise]

There are 6 time zones in the US (including Alaska and Hawaii), there are 11 time zones in Russia.