Russia condemns US recent sanctions

Konstantin Dolgov, Russian Foreign Ministry Commissioner for Human rights, on Thursday condemned US recent sanctions against Moscow and suggested there would be a fast response. 

He said the US’s actions were the “death throes of political corpses,” The Independent reported. 

He also said that Russia was waiting to see what Trump had to say about the steps of the Obama administration and needed to “consider the circumstances of the transition period and a possible reaction of the US president-elect”. 

Dolgov said that Washington’s actions were “counterproductive and are intended to cause harm in the future, including the process of restoring bilateral relations”. 

Thirty-five Russian diplomats have been expelled from the US, according to a statement from State Department. 

President Obama described those expelled as “intelligence operatives,” also announcing the closure of two Russian compounds, in New York and Maryland.

The Russian diplomats would be given 72 hours to leave US soil. They are expelled for acting in a "manner inconsistent with their diplomatic status," the statement reads.

Source: MENA