Stephen Lendman

US closure, seizure and searches of Russia’s diplomatic properties in San Francisco, Washington and New York were flagrant Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations violations.

They represented unacceptable US hostility toward a sovereign nation threatening no one, reflecting the dismal state of bilateral relations, worsening, not improving, moving things closer to direct confrontation.

That’s where this is heading if a way isn’t found to stop things from lurching toward war between the world’s dominant nuclear powers, a possible doomsday scenario if launched.

Moscow promised an appropriate response. The clearest one would be no longer pretending both countries are partners. Far from it!

Neocons infesting Washington irresponsibly consider Russia America’s leading threat - solely for its sovereign independence and opposition to America’s imperial agenda, waging endless wars of aggression against nations threatening no one.

Nothing in prospect suggests a softening of US hostility toward Russia ahead - nothing Trump can do to improve relations.

He’s hamstrung by bipartisan congressional neocons and media scoundrels, pretending Moscow threatens US national security, inventing reasons to vilify the country and its leadership.

During a Monday press conference in Amman, Jordan, Sergey Lavrov said “(w)e are now studying the conditions in which American foreign missions in Russia and Russian foreign missions in the US are operating, and will make these conditions totally equal.”

“The United States said ‘Russians want parity, then they should close one of the four consulates general, because we’ve got only three consulates general in Russia.’ “

“As long as the US took parity as a criterion, Russia will act in kind.” Lavrov oddly called Moscow’s action unrelated to bilateral relations.

It’s got everything to do with them. Russia is responding appropriately to Washington’s hostile action, totally unacceptable.

Its action isn’t likely the end of things. Expect further unfriendly US responses to follow, especially if Moscow and Beijing veto Washington’s unacceptable draft resolution on North Korea as expected.

The road to hell is paved with hostile US intentions. Russia can’t do a thing about it.

America considers the country its sworn enemy. It’s been this way for the past century with brief periods of better relations along the way.

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Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

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My newest book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: How the US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
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