The latest episode of Washington-Moscow tension further deteriorated the relationship between the two countries that has already been at a low point, and dealt a severe blow to Trump's efforts to mend ties with Russia.
"The Russian decision to reduce U.S. diplomatic staff appears linked directly to the new Congressional sanctions bill," Steven Pifer, Senior Fellow of the Brookings Institution, a Washington-based think tank, told Xinhua. "Neither action will help the U.S.-Russia relationship, which was already at a difficult level, but one should not overestimate the impact."
Pifer noted that U.S.-Russia relations are "at their lowest point since the end of the Cold War," adding that it will take "patient, hard diplomacy" to move the relationship to a better point.
Putin has ordered a dramatic reduction in the U.S. diplomatic mission to Russia, saying the U.S. diplomatic staff "will now equal the number of the Russian diplomatic personnel in the United States, 455 people on each side."
Last December, Trump's predecessor Barack Obama ordered 35 Russian diplomats to leave the U.S., saying the actions were being carried out in response to Moscow's alleged attempt to interfere in the election.
The row between the U.S. and Russia also signaled a major shift in tone from a summit between Trump and Putin earlier this month, which showed prospects of warmer ties.
"President Trump felt that he could improve U.S.-Russia relations with a strong personal rapport with President Putin, but given the deterioration of relations with Russia, the issues are far more than what can be resolved by a positive relationship between the leaders," Mahaffee said.
【国际英语资讯:Spotlight: New sanctions, cutting U.S. embassy staff create fresh crisis in U.S.-Russia ties】相关文章:
★ 聪明的熊猫
★ 职场新人要什么?
最新
2020-09-15
2020-09-15
2020-09-15
2020-09-15
2020-09-15
2020-09-15