One of the irritants that Ryabkov and Shannon had been addressing in their talks, the closure of two Russian compounds in the U.S., rose to the surface on Monday as the Kremlin said it was losing patience with a U.S. plan to return them to Russian control. The recreational compounds — one in Maryland, one in New York — were shuttered in December by President Barack Obama in response to Russia's meddling in the election. U.S. officials have said the compounds were also used by the Russians for intelligence-gathering in the U.S.



Putin's foreign affairs adviser, Yuri Ushakov, said Russia had shown remarkable restraint by declining to retaliate for Obama's actions, which included expelling 35 Russian diplomats from the U.S. Ushakov insisted Russia would be obliged to respond if the compounds, also known as dachas, aren't given back, adding that Moscow's patience "has its limits."



Both Trump and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson have described relations with Russia as dismal. But while Trump's meeting with Russia's president could be a chance to move past old grievances, it's also being closely watched by Trump's critics for signs he's being too soft on the former Cold War foe. The meeting comes amid an ongoing U.S. investigation into Russia's election interference and potential Trump campaign collusion, in which Kislyak's frequent interactions with Trump aides are a major focus.