MOSCOW (Sputnik) — On Thursday, US outgoing President Barack Obama announced the expulsion of 35 Russian diplomats, the closing of two Russian diplomatic compounds in Maryland and New York and new sanctions against six Russian individuals and five entities over Moscow's alleged interference in the November US presidential election, which the Kremlin has repeatedly denied.
"I do support [the measures]," Leonid Slutsky told reporters commenting on Russian Foreign Ministry proposal for Russian President Vladimir Putin to consider declaring 31 US Embassy in Moscow and four US Consulate General in St. Petersburg employees 'persona non grata' as well as ban the use of a vacation retreat by US diplomats.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists late on Thursday that Russia is going to respond to Washington’s new restrictive measures.
The Russian Foreign Ministry called the outgoing Obama administration's actions counterproductive and warned they would harm the mending of bilateral relations.
