US orders Russia to close diplomatic buildings in its three states

The U.S. on Thursday ordered Russia to shutter three diplomatic buildings by Sept. 2.

The State Department said it was taking the action in line with "the spirit of parity invoked by the Russians."

Among the buildings closed will be the San Francisco consulate general, a chancery annex in Washington, DC and a consular annex in New York.

Both countries will have three consulates in each other's countries, according to spokeswoman Heather Nauert.

"While there will continue to be a disparity in the number of diplomatic and consular annexes, we have chosen to allow the Russian Government to maintain some of its annexes in an effort to arrest the downward spiral in our relationship," Nauert said in a statement.

"The United States hopes that, having moved toward the Russian Federation's desire for parity, we can avoid further retaliatory actions by both sides and move forward to achieve the stated goal of both of our presidents: improved relations between our two countries and increased cooperation on areas of mutual concern," she added.

Nauert said the U.S. was prepared to take additional actions "as warranted."

The State Department confirmed the U.S. earlier fulfilled a Russian order to reduce the size of its Russian mission.