Putin refuses to expel US diplomats, Trump applauds

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday ruled out tit-for-tat expulsions of Americans in response to US sanctions over alleged cyberattacks, a move that won plaudits from President-elect Donald Trump. Putin's decision came despite the foreign ministry asking him to send home 35 US diplomats after President Barack Obama had turfed out the same number of Russian staff. Trump's intervention -- in a tweet -- however illustrated the shifting political tide in Washington barely three weeks before t