Moscow to Give Tough Response to US Hostile Acts

"We will give a tough response to those things that hurt us absolutely without rhyme or reason, and which are dictated only by the desire to spoil our relations with the United States," Lavrov said in his address to students of the Moscow MGIMO international relations university.

Lavrov commented on the US demand to close Russia's Consulate General in San Francisco, a chancery annex in Washington, and a consular annex in New York City by Saturday, Xinhua news agency reported.

Washington reacted to Moscow's decision to cut US diplomatic staff in Russia to numbers equaling Russian staff in the United States and seizing two US properties in Moscow.

Moscow in its turn reacted to the December decision of previous US administration of Barack Obama to expel 35 Russian diplomats and seize two Russian Properties.

However, Lavrov did not specify what Moscow's next step could be, saying that the US statement was received in the early hours and has yet to be examined.