On Friday, Putin rejected calls to expel 35 American diplomats in response to a similar move by the US. He said US President Barack Obama’s act was designed to provoke a reaction, but Russia was not going to take the bait.
In a statement published on the Kremlin website, Putin said: “We reserve the right to retaliate, but we will not sink to the level of this irresponsible ‘kitchen’ diplomacy. We will take further moves on restoring Russian-American relations based on the policies that the administration of President-elect Donald Trump adopts.”
Obama had ordered the expulsion of 35 Russian diplomats on Thursday, giving them 72 hours to leave US soil, describing the diplomats as “intelligence operatives” and also announced the closure of two Russian compounds in the US.
“I see the new unfriendly steps, taken by the outgoing US administration, as a provocation aimed at undermining US-Russian relations,” Putin responded.
“This is clearly contrary to fundamental interests of both Russian and American nations.
“Taking into consideration the global responsibility of Russia and the US to preserve global safety, this also damages international relations as a whole,” he added.
President-elect Donald Trump praised Putin’s decision to hold off on retaliation over Obama’s “sanctions” on Twitter, adding that he “always knew” that the Russian president was “very smart.”
Former UKIP leader Nigel Farage praised the Russian President for his decision not to expel American diplomats in response the unfriendly move by the Obama administration.
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