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Putin: We 'Reserve the Right' to Expel Additional U.S. Diplomats From Russia

U.S. President Donald Trump and Russia's President Vladimir Putin / Getty

Russian President Vladimir Putin could force additional U.S. diplomats to leave Russia after he previously closed two American facilities and expelled nearly half the diplomats.

Putin said Tuesday that Moscow could force the United States to remove an additional 155 personnel from facilities across the country, CNN reported. Putin made his comments in response to President Donald Trump's order to close the Russian consulate in San Francisco, and annexes in Washington, D.C. and New York City.

"We reserve the right to further reduce the number of US diplomats in Moscow," Putin said. "But we are not going to do this now. We will see how the situation develops."

Putin's comments came while speaking to reporters at a summit meeting in China.

While discussing U.S.-Russia relations, Putin also noted he is not close to Trump, despite common speculation from Trump opponents to the contrary. Putin said Trump is "not my bride, and I'm not his groom," according to Russian media outlets.

The comment came in response to a question about whether the Russian leader has considered the possibility of Trump being impeached, the New York Times reported. Putin declined to comment, saying it was not his place to discuss domestic U.S. politics.