Diplomatic spat latest chapter in Russia-US tensions

MOSCOW: The US decision to shut several Russian diplomatic facilities is the latest blow to tortured ties and despite Donald Trump’s pledge to improve relations with Vladimir Putin, tensions have spiralled since he entered the White House.

From alleged Russian election meddling to the conflicts in Syria and Ukraine, here are some of the most contentious issues facing the two sides.

The promise of a fresh start to the relationship has been eclipsed by allegations of collusion between Russia and members of Trump’s election campaign team.

US intelligence agencies have accused Putin of orchestrating a sweeping hacking and influence campaign to tip the November 2016 vote in Trump’s favour, prompting several investigations, including one led by the FBI.

Thursday’s move by Washington to close the US consulate in San Francisco and the two diplomatic annexes in Washington and New York are part of the fallout from the allegations.

In the waning days of his tenure, Barack Obama hit out at Russia by expelling 35 diplomats and closing two of Moscow’s diplomatic compounds in the US.

The Kremlin initially did not retaliate but when Congress passed new sanctions tying Trump’s hands, Moscow ordered the US to cut its diplomatic mission by 755 staff by September. For Trump, any impression that he is cosying up to Russia has become politically toxic amid a string of probes into potential collusion between his team and Russia.

Ties between Moscow and Washington had already slumped to their lowest point since the Cold War long before the furore over the US election erupted. The West began slapping punishing sanctions on Russia after its annexation of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, sparking a revenge embargo from Moscow against agricultural products.

More than three years of fighting between government troops and Russian-backed rebels continues in Ukraine’s east and a political resolution appears far from near.

Trump set Kiev on edge by appearing to waver in his support for the pro-Western Ukrainian government and since then, the White House has toughened its tone and beefed up sanctions in June.

US Secretary of Defence James Mattis said the US was "actively reviewing" Obama’s refusal to supply vital weaponry to Kiev, but Trump has held off on a decision that would ratchet up tensions with Moscow.

With Russia and the US on opposite sides over the conflict in Syria, Trump infuriated Moscow by ordering a missile strike in April on the forces of its ally Bashar al-Assad over an alleged chemical weapons attack. —