Russian President Putin said he is 'not the bride' of US President Trump amid a stoush over diplomatic staff. Photo / AP
Russian President Vladimir Putin said he is not the "bride" of President Trump and slammed the US political establishment as "uncivilised" amid a simmering diplomatic feud between the two countries.
Speaking for the first time about the recent US decision to expel Russian workers from a consulate in San Francisco with just two days' notice, Putin slammed the "uncivil" way US authorities acted.
"The Americans had the right to reduce the number of our diplomatic offices. It is another matter altogether that they have done this in way that was absolutely uncivil. This does not do reflect well on our American partners," he said.
"It is difficult to talk to people who confuse Austria and Australia. But there is nothing we can do about this; this is the level of political culture among part of the American establishment."
"As for the American people, America is truly a great nation if the Americans can put up with so many politically uncivilised people."
He later refrained from criticising the US President directly in comments posted by Russian news agencies, saying Trump was "not my bride, and I'm not his groom".
Putin also refused to discuss the prospect of Trump being impeached, saying it would be "absolutely wrong" to discuss US domestic politics.
The comments follow a diplomatic stoush that saw the US shutter Russia's San Francisco consulate and search the premises over the weekend - giving staff and their families just two days to get out.
The move was made in retaliation for Moscow's expulsion of US diplomats earlier in the year, when it reduced the number of US diplomats in the country to 455 - the same number Russia has in the US.
Although Putin recognised an agreement for "parity" in terms of staffing levels between the two countries, he also cited a technicality that means Russia will "reserve the right" to cut US staff further given that 155 of its US-based staff work at the UN.
"When the United States wanted the UN to be headquartered in New York, it pledged to properly ensure its operation. So strictly speaking, the number of American diplomats in Moscow should be not 455 but 155 fewer, if we are talking about parity," he said.
"So, we reserve the right to take a new decision on the number of American diplomats in Moscow. We will not do this immediately but will see how things develop."
On Sunday the US seized control of San Francisco, Washington DC and New York City d diplomatic posts, forcing out Russian workers.
Furious Russian staff filmed their premises being searched and called it a "blatantly hostile act" as armed police took control of the buildings.
The Russian Foreign Ministry posted video on Facebook and threatened the US would "bear the total blame for the ongoing degradation of the relations between our countries, on which the current condition of the global stability and international security largely depends".
Videos showed men with American accents checking various rooms and giving them the all-clear. One man searched a ceiling cavity for unknown contents. Putin said the Foreign Ministry will take legal action.
In this & the following posts we publish photo & video evidences of illegal actions by the US authorities which in violation of international law and their own legislation have invaded Russian diplomatic facilities & are conducting an "examination" of the premises. We begin with materials from the Russian Consulate General in San Francisco which is being under rummage by the FBI right now | В этом и следующих постах - фото и видео свидетельства противоправных действий американских властей, которые в нарушение международного права и собственного законодательства вторглись на российские дипломатические объекты и проводят "осмотр" помещений. Начинаем с материалов из Генерального консульства России в Сан-Франциско, в котором ФБР проводит обыск.
Posted by Russian Foreign Ministry - МИД России on Saturday, 2 September 2017
Видео осмотра сотрудниками ФБР здания российского Генерального консульства в Сан-Франциско | The FBI in the Consulate General of Russia in San Francisco.
Posted by Russian Foreign Ministry - МИД России on Saturday, 2 September 2017
Видео осмотра сотрудниками ФБР здания российского Генерального консульства в Сан-Франциско | The FBI in the Consulate General of Russia in San Francisco.
Posted by Russian Foreign Ministry - МИД России on Saturday, 2 September 2017
One day earlier, smoke was seen from the chimney at the Russian consulate as Russians rushed to meet the deadline for leaving, and workers were spotted hauling out boxes. Fireman were called but told there was no problem.
The US backtracked on claims families would have to move out of their residence within 48 hours, saying they would be given "sufficient time" to pack.
The clash marks a new low in US-Russian diplomatic relations, which are also strained over different views on how to proceed in North Korea.
US intelligence agencies have concluded Russia interfered in the 2016 election and have placed additional sanctions on certain officials. Special prosecutor Robert Mueller's investigations into contact between members of Trump's team and the Russian government continue.
When announcing the decision to close the US sites, a State Department spokesman noted "Russia will still maintain more diplomatic and consular annexes in the United States than we have in Russia."
"We've chosen to allow the Russian Government to maintain some of its annexes in an effort to arrest the downward spiral in our relationship," he said.
"I want to also highlight that it's our hope that with this move in the direction of parity, which the Russians said they were seeking, we can avoid further retaliatory actions by both sides. Our goal is really to find a way to get to better relations between our two countries."