Also today, the Washington Post reports that the Trump Administration is moving towards handing back to Russia two diplomatic compounds, near New York City and on Maryland's Eastern Shore, from which its officials were ejected in late December as punishment for Moscow's interference in the 2016 presidential election.
Then-President Barack Obama said on December 29 that the compounds were being "used by Russian personnel for intelligence-related purposes," and gave Russia 24 hours to vacate them. Separately, Obama expelled from the United States what he said were 35 Russian "intelligence operatives".
In April, the Trump Administration told the Russians it would consider turning the properties back over to them if Moscow would lift its freeze, imposed in 2014 in retaliation for US sanctions related to Ukraine, on construction of a new US consulate on a certain parcel of land in St Petersburg.
Two days later, the US position changed. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson told Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Kislyak at a meeting in Washington, that the United States had dropped any linkage between the compounds and the consulate, according to several people with knowledge of the exchanges.
In Moscow today, Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov said Russia was "taking into account the difficult internal political situation for the current administration," but retained the option to reciprocate for what he called the "expropriation" of Russian property, "if these steps are not somehow adjusted by the US side," the news outlet Sputnik reported.
Senior Tillerson adviser R. C. Hammond said that "the US and Russia have reached no agreements". He said the next senior level meeting between the two governments, below the secretary of state level, will be in June in St Petersburg.
Before making a final decision on allowing the Russians to reoccupy the compounds, the Administration is examining possible restrictions on Russian activities there, including removing the diplomatic immunity the properties previously enjoyed. Without immunity, the facilities would be treated as any other buildings in the United States and would not be barred to entry by US law enforcement, according to people who spoke on the condition anonymity to discuss sensitive diplomatic matters.
Any concessions to Moscow could prove controversial while Administration and former Trump campaign officials are under congressional and special counsel investigation for alleged ties to Russia.
Changes in the Administration's official posture toward the compounds come as Russian media recently suggested that Kislyak, about to leave Washington after serving as ambassador since 2008, may be proposed by the Kremlin to head a new position as UN undersecretary general for counterterrorism.
