TheCable

Russia on Friday announced plans to expel 35 US diplomats and ban US diplomatic staff from using a dacha and a warehouse in Moscow in retaliation to Washington’s sanctions, Russian news agencies are reporting.

Sergei Lavrov, foreign minister, was quoted by the agencies as saying he had proposed the measures to President Vladimir Putin.

Barack Obama, outgoing president of the US on Thursday ordered the expulsion of 35 Russian suspected spies and imposed sanctions on two Russian intelligence agencies over their involvement in hacking US political groups in the 2016 presidential election.

Lavrov said Russia would not leave the sanctions unanswered and said that allegations that Russia interfered in U.S. elections were baseless.

However, Putin said he saw the US step to expel diplomats as a move to undermine relations between the two countries, according to RIA, the Russian state news agency.

“We will not create problems for American diplomats. We will not expel anyone,” Putin said in a statement which added that he would consider the actions of President-elect Donald Trump, who takes office next month, when deciding on further steps in Russia-US relations.