Donald Trump has praised Vladimir Putin for not ordering tit-for-tat expulsions following the decision by Barack Obama to oust 35 Russian diplomats.
In a move that will likely lead to the President-elect’s critics claiming he appears more loyal to the Russian leader than the US president, Mr Trump said it was a “great move” by the Kremlin.
A day after Mr Obama ordered the expulsion of the Russian enjoys and the closing of two compounds used by the diplomats, Mr Putin surprised many observers by not reciprocating in kind. In a clever piece of political chess, he said Russia would not lower itself to the level of “kitchen” diplomacy”. He even invited the children to US diplomats in the US to attend a New Year’s celebration at the Kremlin.
Great move on delay (by V. Putin) – I always knew he was very smart!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 30, 2016
Mr Putin also made clear that he could order further responses depending on what steps Mr Trump takes when he assumes the US presidency on January 20. On Thursday, Mr Trump had issued a statement saying that the American people needed to move on to more important issues.
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