The U.S Senate has decided to pass a bill that would increase the sanctions on Russia and it has been rumored that Trump intends to sign the sanctioning document. As soon as the news spread out amongst the diplomatic circles of the world, Russia has been planning its next move to counter the decision. The allegations or the basis of further transactions result from last year’s election controversy where Russian agencies were accused of being involved in the manipulation of Presidential results which was a huge setback for Congress. The bill that is intended to curb the powers of Russia by sanctioning their economic and political activities will also contain legislations for Iran and North Korea.
In a response to enduring upcoming sanctions, Russia has decided to expel 755 US embassy staff that is involved in different diplomatic activities taking place in Moscow. This decision took place on Friday and it has been confirmed by Putin in an interview that was broadcasted on state television Rossia-1 that Russia would reduce the American diplomatic staff bringing down the number to just 455. The American staff in Moscow, Ekaterinburg, Vladivostok and St Petersburg will be affected by this decision taken by Russia. However, this is not something new, back in 2016 during Obama’s administration, 35 Russian diplomats were expelled and 2 Russian compounds were shut down.
Putin told the news channel while interviewing that the measures were taken in response to the U.S. taking
“an unprovoked step towards worsening Russian-American relations.”
Putin also said that he hoped the relations between Russia and America would improve but the recent actions taken by the USA do not show the willingness. Putin further added that the relations might change but not anytime soon.
The decision taken by America is obnoxious as the Middle-East’s turmoil and Afghanistan’s unstable situation are yet unsolved issues and America is opening new fronts against Russia and other countries. In recent times, American establishment and political elite have focused on one thing solely and that is the Presidential election manipulation. The electoral results were unexpected but by questioning the credibility of elections, they question their own integrity, sovereignty, and security protocols.
This situation is not at all favorable for any country as the world needs unity to fight against the rebellious non-state actors and terrorist organizations that affect every nation irrespective of their language, caste, or religion. The recent decisions taken by Trump administration have been subject to severe criticism as they lack political awareness and fail to strengthen the country. The sanctions on Russia would not prove to be effective because Putin has led his country out of the political muddle several times.
Leave a Reply