Pence: Russia expulsions won’t deter US ‘commitment to allies’

US Vice President Mike Pence says Moscow’s demand that Washington cut 755 American diplomatic staff in Russia will not lessen the US’s commitment to its allies.

“We hope for better days, for better relations with Russia but recent diplomatic action taken by Moscow will not deter the commitment of the United States of America to our security, the security of our allies and the security of freedom loving nations around the world,” Pence says in Estonia after meeting with the leaders of the three Baltic states, Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania.

At a news conference, Pence says he had passed on a “simple message” from US President Donald Trump to the three countries: “We are with you.”

President Vladimir Putin on Sunday said the United States would have to cut 755 diplomatic staff members in Russia and warned of a prolonged gridlock in its ties after the US Congress backed new sanctions against the Kremlin.

— AFP