Trump Seeks Meeting With Putin Even as Allies Seek to Isolate Russia

President Trump hopes to meet with President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia in the next few weeks even as the American leader increasingly clashes with European allies over how to counter Moscow's assertive actions in Europe and the Middle East. Mr. Trump is sending his national security adviser, John R. Bolton, to Moscow next week to discuss a possible meeting.

Russia to expel 60 US diplomats, close American consulate in St. Petersburg

Russia has said it will expel 60 U.S. diplomats and close the American consulate in St. Petersburg as part of a tit-for-tat retaliation against the coordinated wave of expulsions of dozens of Russian diplomats ordered by the United States and other countries earlier this week over the poisoning of a former spy in Britain.

‘Celebration of Life’ for San Francisco mayor who died at 65

In this Aug. 15, 2017, file photo, San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee listens to questions during a news conference at City Hall in San Francisco. Hundreds of people are expected for a public celebration in San Francisco Sunday, Dec. 17, 2017, of the life of Lee, who died suddenly Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2017.

Russian Foreign Ministry Blasts U.S. Over Visas Even As Services Resume

The Russian Foreign Ministry has denounced the United States for continuing to limit the number of visas issued to Russian citizens, even as it welcomed Monday's decision to resume services at U.S. consulates. The two countries have been involved in numerous diplomatic spats since December 2016, when former U.S. President Barack Obama ordered the expulsion of 35 Russian diplomats following allegations of Russian meddling in the U.S. presidential election.

Heavy Smoke from SF Russian Consulate Chimney as Moscow Fears Search by US

Russia's Foreign Ministry said that U.S. law enforcement officials intend to search its San Francisco consulate and some diplomatic residences, and it complained the U.S. demands were posing a "direct threat" to its citizens. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a statement posted September 1 that unnamed U.S. agencies plan to conduct the search on September 2, following the State Department's announcement this week ordering the consulate and two other trade annexes in New York and Washington closed.

Workers clear out of Russian consulate in San Francisco

Acrid, black smoke was seen pouring from a chimney at the Russian consulate in San Francisco and workers began hauling boxes out of the stately building in a historic area of the city Friday, a day after the Trump administration ordered its closure amid escalating tensions between the United States and Russia. The order to leave the consulate and an official diplomatic residence in San Francisco - home to a longstanding community of Russian emigres and technology workers - escalated an already tense diplomatic standoff between Washington and Moscow, even for those who have long monitored activities inside the closely monitored building.

US Embassy in Russia stops issuing tourist visas for 8 days

In a step that could affect hundreds of thousands of Russian tourists, the U.S. Embassy in Russia said Monday it would suspend issuing nonimmigrant visas for eight days from Wednesday in response to the Russian decision to cap embassy staff. The embassy made the decision after the Russian Foreign Ministry ordered a cap on the number of U.S. diplomatic personnel in Russia, it said in a statement, adding that it would resume issuing visas in Moscow on Sept.

U.S. Embassy in Russia suspends issuing nonimmigrant visas

The embassy made the decision after the Russian Foreign Ministry ordered a cap on the number of U.S. diplomatic personnel in Russia. U.S. Embassy in Russia suspends issuing nonimmigrant visas The embassy made the decision after the Russian Foreign Ministry ordered a cap on the number of U.S. diplomatic personnel in Russia.

Russia urges US to fix ties as it cuts US diplomatic staff

Russia urged the United States Monday to show "political will" to mend ties even as it ordered sweeping cuts of U.S. embassy personnel unseen since Cold War times. President Vladimir Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said it will take time for the U.S. to recover from what he called "political schizophrenia," but added that Russia remains interested in constructive cooperation with the U.S. "We are interested in a steady development of our ties and are sorry to note that we are still far from that," he said.

Russia to seize US properties in retaliation over sanctions

The Russian Foreign Ministry demanded Friday that the United States cut its diplomatic staff in Russia and said it would seize two US diplomatic properties in a sharp response to a new sanctions bill the US Congress passed a day earlier. The order -- which affects the US Embassy in Moscow and consulates in St Petersburg, Yekaterinburg and Vladivostok -- would reduce US diplomatic and technical staff to 455, the same number Russia has in the United States, by September 1. Russia also is suspending the use of a US storage facility in Moscow and a country house, or dacha, outside Moscow by Tuesday.

Russia orders cut in US diplomats in reaction to sanctions

Russia's Foreign Ministry on Friday ordered a reduction in the number of U.S. diplomats in Russia and said it was closing down a U.S. recreation retreat in response to fresh sanctions against Russia. The U.S. Senate approved a new package of stiff financial sanctions Friday against Russia, Iran and North Korea and sent it to President Donald Trump to sign.

Russia orders U.S. diplomat reduction

Russia's Foreign Ministry on Friday ordered a reduction in the number of U.S. diplomats in Russia and said it was closing down a U.S. recreation retreat in response to fresh sanctions against Russia. The U.S. Senate approved a new package of stiff financial sanctions Friday against Russia, Iran and North Korea and sent it to President Donald Trump to sign.

Putin, Trump to meet in Germany amid a sea of disputes

For Russian President Vladimir Putin, a meeting with U.S. counterpart Donald Trump on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit in Germany offers a long-sought opportunity to negotiate a rapprochement with Washington. But controversy over the Trump campaign's ties with Russia will loom over the talks, making any agreements unlikely.

Russian Spies’ Go-To Tactics For Entangling People: Bribery and Blackmail

As congressional and FBI investigators in Washington explore potential ties between President Trump's 2016 campaign and Russian intelligence services' meddling in the election, they're searching for one particular clue: money. Loans, payments, sweetheart deals or other transactions are a tried and tested way that Russia's spy agencies get access to or control over people who interest them.

Tillerson visit to Moscow appears to be a stand-in for a Trump-Putin meeting

The State Department would give no details Tuesday about a planned trip by Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to Moscow next month, but the visit appears to be a stand-in for any immediate meeting between President Trump and Russian President VladiA mir Putin. Tillerson, who drew skepticism from Democrats and some Republicans for his ties to Russia and Putin when he headed the oil giant ExxonMobil, will be the first high-level Trump administration emissary to go to Moscow.

Claim accuses Wells Fargo of denying loans to young migrants

Perez applied for a student loan from Wells Fargo online to help cover the costs of her education at the Univ... . Mitzie Perez, a plaintiff in a lawsuit against Wells Fargo, poses for a photo in Los Angeles, Monday, Jan. 30, 2017.

Plane with expelled Russian diplomats leaves US

President Putin's refusal to expel US diplomats came after Russia's foreign ministry asked him to send home 35 in a tit-for-tat retaliation for the expulsion of the same number of its staff by President Barack Obama. Photo: AFP A plane carrying 35 Russian diplomats expelled from the United States over Moscow's alleged interference in the presidential election took off from Washington on Sunday, Russian news agencies reported.