US and Russian officials to meet in Finland to try and ease tensions

The State Department's third-ranking official, Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Thomas Shannon, will meet on Monday and Tuesday in Finland with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov. They will try and clear the air between Washington and Moscow after Russia’s expulsions of 755 US embassy staff and America’s tit-for-tat closure of the Russian consulate in San Francisco and trade missions.