In a relatively weak initial statement, president-elect Trump has rather diplomatically commented that:
"It’s time for our country to move on to bigger and better things.
Nevertheless, in the interest of our country and its great people, I will meet with leaders of the intelligence community next week in order to be updated on the facts of this situation."
Under normal circumstances, the President-elect Trump and President Obama would discuss the proposed sanctions on Russia and issue a joint statement. After all, Obama doesn't have to deal with the ramifications, Trump does. But in this fucked up political environment we live in, the incoming President and the one sitting in the White House agree on virtually nothing.
The following tweet, just sent out by the traditionally outspoken Russian Embassy in the UK, hardly needs commentary.
President Obama expels 35 ???????? diplomats in Cold War deja vu. As everybody, incl ???????? people, will be glad to see the last of this hapless Adm. pic.twitter.com/mleqA16H8D
— Russian Embassy, UK (@RussianEmbassy) December 29, 2016
As part of the "evidence" meant to substantiate the unprecedented act of expelling 35 Russian diplomats and locking down two Russian compounds without a major concurrent political or diplomatic incident, or an act of war, and which simply provides an outlets for the Democrats to justify the loss of their candidate in the US presidential election (sorry, Putin did not tell the rust belt how to vote), the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI released a 13-page "report" on the Russian action done "to compromise and exploit networks and endpoints associated with the U.S.
Having already made it clear that any sanctions would be met with retaliation, IFX reports that Russian Commissioner Foreign Ministry on human rights, democracy and the rule of law, Konstantin Dolgov exclaimed that "any anti-Russian sanctions are futile and counter-productive."
Via IFX (Google Translate)