RUSSIA: Putin Takes To National Television To Formally Announce Retaliation For US Sanctions [VIDEO]

The New York Times reports:

President Vladimir V. Putin announced on Sunday that the American diplomatic mission in Russia would have to cut its staff by 755 employees, a response to the new American sanctions that escalated the tensions between Washington and Moscow.

“Over 1,000 employees — diplomats and technical workers — worked and continue to work today in Russia; 755 will have to stop this activity,” he said, according to both a clip shown on state-run Rossiya 1 television and a transcript provided by the Interfax news agency.

Although the reduction in American diplomatic staff had been announced on Friday, in response to a law passed in Congress last week expanding sanctions against Russia, the president’s statement was the first to confirm the large number of embassy personnel involved.

Speaking in a television interview on the Rossiya 1 network, Mr. Putin said that Russia had run of patience waiting for relations with the United States 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,” Mr. Putin said in the interview, according to Interfax news agency.

More from CNN:

Earlier Sunday, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov had threatened further retaliation would be coming. “If the US side decides to move further towards further deterioration, we will answer, we will respond in kind,” Ryabkov said on ABC’s “This Week.” “We will mirror this. We will retaliate. … But my whole point is, don’t do this, it is to the detriment of the interests of the US.”

A request to the White House for comment was not immediately returned. President Donald Trump has indicated he will sign the sanctions bill. The bill would give Congress new power to stop Trump from easing sanctions against Moscow.

This bill also would set into law penalties President Barack Obama’s administration imposed against Russia in December for meddling in the US election last year and for its aggression in Ukraine. Obama expelled 35 Russian diplomats and closed Russian compounds in Maryland and New York.

Putin: We waited a long time. We really hoped for better relations, but new US sanctions on Russia are unprovoked pic.twitter.com/uSFV9BfJyR

— Paula Chertok? (@PaulaChertok) July 30, 2017