The Trump administration says it is shuttering the last two U.S. consulates in Russia, leaving the U.S. Embassy in Moscow as the only diplomatic post in the country. The State Department notified lawmakers of the plans on Dec. 10, before news broke of an alarming Russian-linked cyberattack against numerous government agencies. At that time, the move was attributed to “staffing challenges” caused by limits Russia imposed on U.S. diplomatic personnel in 2017. A State Department spokesperson said in a statement late Friday that the move is intended to “optimize the work of the U.S. mission in Russia.” The consulate in the far eastern city of Vladivostok will be permanently closed, while operations at the consulate in Yekaterinburg will be temporarily suspended. “The resulting realignment of personnel at U.S. Embassy Moscow will allow us to advance our foreign policy interests in Russia in the most effective and safe manner possible,” the statement said. “No action related to the Russian consulates in the United States is planned,” according to the spokesperson. The timeline for the closures was not immediately clear, nor was it clear if the move would be finalized by the time President-elect Joe Biden takes over the White House next month.
