U.S. gives Russia 48 hours to close three missions

President Trump

In a retaliatory move, the U.S. has  given Russia 48 hours to close three of its missions in San Francisco, Washington  D.C. and New York.

The spokesperson of the U.S. Department of  State, Heather Nauert, said in a statement on   Thursday that  the move was to achieve parity in diplomatic missions.

Moscow had asked Washington to reduce its missions officials in Russia in  retaliation for  the seizure of property belonging to Russians and expulsion of dozens of Russian nationals by President Barack Obama.

Obama took the decision on the eve of the end of his tenure in January in retaliation against Russia’s alleged meddling in the Nov. 8, 2016 U.S. presidential election.