Russia kicks out U.S. diplomats

Russian President Vladimir Putin is booting hundreds of U.S. diplomats out of Moscow. Putin said the United States would have to cut its embassy and consulate staff by 755 people in response to the new U.S. sanctions against Russia, which passed overwhelmingly last week in both houses of Congress. President Donald Trump said he would sign those sanctions into law. Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the United States suffers from “political schizophrenia,” but Russia still wants to mend relations between the two countries. “We are interested in a steady development of our ties and are sorry to note that we are still far from that,” he said.