On Friday afternoon, black smoke rose over the building of the Russian consulate in San Francisco: despite more than 30-degree heat, diplomats who had recently learned that they would have to leave the consulate building kindled a fire in the fireplace. However, the firefighters arrived were sent back, which caused various rumors. According to the representative of the local fire service, "it was not accidental. They burned something in the fireplace ". But that it was, and remained a secret. "This incident showed how much the United States is nervous and does not trust Russia," writes Frauke Steffens on the pages of the German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine.

Incidentally, another report on the fire concerned, incidentally, and the Russian trade mission in Washington: according to Foreign Policy, in the courtyard of the office staff burned some documents, as was seen in the video recorded by journalists. What was burned there is also unknown. Russian diplomats in San Francisco and Washington, in any case, were in a hurry, since President Trump gave them and their colleagues only 48 hours to clear the premises of the ".

The conflict between Americans and Russians, as the saying goes, was aggravated shortly before: after Trump against his will signed the law on new sanctions, unanimously adopted by Congress, Vladimir Putin wanted to send the US a sign of protest and ordered to send 755 employees from the diplomatic representations representing Russia's interests. In turn, the closure of three Russian offices by Trump was a response to this. The US State Department said that from now on "the balance will be restored". The head of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Sergei Lavrov, said that Russia regrets the "new round of aggravation," and added that he will shortly inform the US side of the corresponding tough reaction.

"The current conflict turns out to be a convenient opportunity for Trump to show his independence from Russia and superiority over Russia," she underscores, noting that critics of Trump strongly doubt this recently. All that Trump does for Russia is critically evaluated both in the media and in American society.

At the same time, initially Trump, Steffens continues, "sought to improve relations with President Putin". After meeting him in July at the G20 summit, Trump said that they "understood each other very well" and, "in Trump's opinion, they will establish good relations".

"However, there is still no certainty whether Trump will now adhere to a more rigid policy toward Russia, as many Republicans want, although international conflicts of recent months have shown him that often the interests of Russia and the US are contradictory," - Steffens concludes. For example, in the Syrian conflict, Russia and the United States have increasingly exchanged mutual accusations. In addition, as the newspaper adds, the US Congress has tightened sanctions in connection with the crisis in Ukraine.