In an unusual diplomatic move, the Russian President Vladimir Putin chose to deescalate the tensions with the US and decided not to deport the 35 US diplomats for now, as he was advised to do earlier today by the Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov.
According to analysts this decision is based on Putin’s hope that the relations between the two countries will make a positive turn after the 20th of January when Donald Trump officially enters the White House.
This turn of events gives room to Trump to maneuver. It will be easier for him to cancel Obama’s decision to deport the 35 Russian diplomats, as he could use Putin’s decision as a “gesture of good will” from the Russian side that needs answering especially from a newly elect President.
Until now, there hasn’t been any official reaction to Vladimir Putin’s stance.
It is worth pointing out that it is an unwritten law in international relations that deportations are always answered with tit-for-tat measures of equal diplomatic value, and that has been the case especially between US and Russia for decades.
