Putin orders 755 American diplomats to leave Russia

[gotsnowgotslush]

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on Sunday that he is ordering 755 American diplomats to leave Russia

http://www.thedailybeast.com/putin-kicking-out-755-american-diplomats


https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/30/...gNews&contentID=65640805&pgtype=Homepage&_r=0

according to a tweet from Neil MacFarquhar

"... the actual translation of Putin’s comments turns out to have been that 755 U.S. embassy personnel will have to “pack up.” That being the case, it’s likely that Putin’s order means that the U.S. will have to both pull some of its American diplomatic personnel as well as fire some of its Russian support staff."

(or, their Russian staff is not sticking around ?)

Putin says 755 U.S. embassy personnel must be gone by September 1, explaining in a state television interview on Sunday that he no longer expects the U.S.-Russia relationship to improve. “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.

http://nymag.com/daily/intelligence...undreds-of-u-s-diplomats-to-leave-russia.html

 

[sharingfantasies]

Actually if you read the Times article, it says that he is calling for a reduction to staff from 1100 to 455. Some of those people are Russian, although it doesn't say how many are Russians and how many are Americans. It does say that it includes officials and support personnel. It doesn't say they are kicked out of the country, they just have to leave the embassy. Although for the Americans, I am sure there is no reason to stay in Russia if they can't do their job. Putin can't fire them, only say they can't go back to the embassy.

Personally, I think this is a great idea. What the heck do we need 1100 people working in Russia anyway. The number of 455 matches the number of Russian diplomatic staff and support personnel in the US. If we have this many people in all the embassies everywhere, it seems like a good place to cut back on some of the budget. Although my understanding is that many of the embassies lack ambassadors as Trump has yet to assign them.

 

[sr71plt]

The White House will write this up as a great money save (not realizing that it doesn't mean the folks aren't to get paychecks anymore).

 

[phrodeau]

Now Trump has a talent pool to fill all those empty embassy jobs.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/state-department-feels-the-pain-of-vacancies/

It might make this guy's job easier, too. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_DeStefano_(presidential_advisor)

 

[sharingfantasies]

For me that would be one of the hardest decisions to make. You want to cut back where you can from the various departments, but you don't want anyone to lose their jobs. So, do you take those people and assign them elsewhere or take their jobs. I am sure the Russians will change their minds eventually and use that as a bargaining chip, then do you send the people back? What I would like to know is how many are Americans and how many are Russians. Not that I want the Russians to lose their jobs either. Sigh, I would never make a good boss.

 

[sr71plt]

If they are vetted federal government employees not appointed in a political slot, you can't fire them, except for cause, which better be good, as they have a straight shot to appeals boards and courts from there.

 

[JackLuis]

You ask how the Trump Admin could fail on Russian Sanctions?

Pence swears ‘we’ll see very different behavior from the Russian government’ — then Putin kicked out 755 diplomats

Perhaps that Head line is a little harsh on Mikey, but fuck him anyway, the asshole.

Vice President Mike Pence told the media that he is hopeful about Russian-American relations.

While on a trip to smooth over relationships with NATO allies in Eastern Europe, Pence told Fox News

“The president has made it very clear that Russia’s destabilizing activities and support for rogue regimes and its activities in Ukraine are unacceptable. The president made it clear that very soon he will sign sanctions from the Congress to reinforce that,” Pence said.

The interview took place long after the Kremlin announced that 755 US diplomats must leave Russia.

“But at the same time as we make our intentions clear that we expect Russian behavior to change, the president and I remain very hopeful that we’ll see very different behavior from the Russian government,” he continued.

Oh Mikey, you know who else talked about Hope and Change?

 

[phrodeau]

(edited)

Oh Mikey, you know who else talked about Hope and Change?

Reagan?

 

[someoneyouknow]

Actually if you read the Times article, it says that he is calling for a reduction to staff from 1100 to 455. Some of those people are Russian, although it doesn't say how many are Russians and how many are Americans.

According to the former Russian Ambassador, roughly 2/3 of the staff are Russians. What Putin is doing is the same thing he did when he cut off certain food from being imported, going so far as to steam roll the food on television. He's hurting the Russian people but will conveniently find a way to blame everyone else for their misery.

Personally, I think this is a great idea. What the heck do we need 1100 people working in Russia anyway.

Again, according to the former Ambassador, the U.S. embassy processes documents for Russian citizens who want to travel to the U.S., do business with the U.S., attend school in the U.S. or otherwise have some interaction with the U.S. As a result of these cuts, all those services will be scaled back tremendously, thus hurting the Russian people. See above.

 

[magicalmoments]

Actually if you read the Times article, it says that he is calling for a reduction to staff from 1100 to 455. Some of those people are Russian, although it doesn't say how many are Russians and how many are Americans. It does say that it includes officials and support personnel. It doesn't say they are kicked out of the country, they just have to leave the embassy. Although for the Americans, I am sure there is no reason to stay in Russia if they can't do their job. Putin can't fire them, only say they can't go back to the embassy.

Personally, I think this is a great idea. What the heck do we need 1100 people working in Russia anyway. The number of 455 matches the number of Russian diplomatic staff and support personnel in the US. If we have this many people in all the embassies everywhere, it seems like a good place to cut back on some of the budget. Although my understanding is that many of the embassies lack ambassadors as Trump has yet to assign them.

We've got ours, Scott Brown. As fine as Trump apologist as you'd find anywhere.

 

[someoneyouknow]

As I said above, so shall it be true:

In a step that could affect hundreds of thousands of Russian tourists, the U.S. Embassy in Russia said Monday it would suspend issuing nonimmigrant visas for eight days from Wednesday in response to the Russian decision to cap embassy staff.
. . .
Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told a news conference the decision to cut visa operations aims to make Russians feel discontent with their own government.

Oh, is that what is needed to feel discontent with a government who denies its soldiers are fighting in a foreign country, who denies it is its soldiers who were captured in said foreign country, who tells the mothers of dead Russian soldiers not to say anything or else go to jail? Not the lack of roads outside of cities or your dictator laughing at a man who pays road taxes but his town has no roads and the closest road is 50 km away?

It's only when the U.S. embassy stops issuing visas to Russian citizens that the people will feel discontent with their government.

http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/us-embassy-russia-suspends-issuing-nonimmigrant-visas-49330182

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/the-call-in-show-that-lets-russians-take-their-problems-straight-to-vladimir-putin/ar-BBCKy5I

 

[sr71plt]

Now, if only the Secret Service can say that it's suspending accompanying Donald Trump or any of his family members on any trips outside Washington because he's used up their budget already.

 

[someoneyouknow]

And now the latest lie from Moscow. Putin never told the U.S. it must reduce the number of people at its embassy. Nope, that decision was all on the U.S.

Of course this is all conveniently tied to the extended length of time needed for Russians to get visas for the U.S. According to the liars, er, Russians, as far back as May the time to get a visa was increased to 50 days from the usual 10.

http://uawire.org/kremlin-usa-decided-to-reduce-its-diplomatic-mission-in-russia#

As a result, Russians are unhappy with the wait:

http://uawire.org/kremlin-s-representative-russians-not-happy-with-delays-while-trying-to-obtain-visas-in-american-embassy

As stated in the above article:

The Deputy Head of the U.S. diplomatic mission in Moscow, Anthony Godfrey, stated that in the future, the embassy will return to the practice of issuing visas in the other regions of Russia. According to him, this will happen when Russia "eliminates the consequences" of the decision to reduce the number of diplomats.​

This announcement is completely at odds with Putin's own words. As published on the web site Vesti.ru, Putin stated:

“As for other possible measures, or whether there are many or few, the diplomatic department considers it quite a sensitive matter. Because more than a thousand employees – diplomats and technical workers – have worked and are still working in Russia, 755 will have to cease their activities in the Russian Federation. It's sensitive."​

http://www.uawire.org/news/putin-755-diplomats-must-leave-russia

So nope, not Russia's fault. None whatsoever.