Russian President Vladimir Putin has made a decision not to expel any U.S. diplomats from Russia in retaliation for Washington`s latest sanctions against Moscow, according to TASS.
”The Russian diplomats returning home will spend the New Year Holidays with their relatives and dear ones. At home. We will not create problems for U.S. diplomats. We will not expel anybody,” Putin said in a statement circulated by the Kremlin press service, TASS reports.
Russia announces 35 U.S. diplomats persona non grata – those are 31 employees of the embassy in Moscow and four of the consulate general in St. Petersburg, Russia`s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Friday, according to TASS.