美国国家公共电台 NPR Russia Pulls Back From The Brink Of Retaliation Against U.S. Sanctions

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We begin with Russia a day after President Obama announced sanctions against the Kremlin for allegedly interfering¹ in U.S. elections. Among other measures, Obama ordered out 35 Russian diplomats² believed to be intelligence agents.

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It looked like Russia would respond in kind until the very last moment. President Vladimir Putin proved once again his ability to surprise. NPR's Lucian Kim reports on a day of high political theater in Moscow.

LUCIAN KIM, BYLINE³: Within hours after the White House announced the expulsions, Russian officials took to social media to express their outrage⁴. The Russian Embassy in London tweeted a picture of a duckling with the word lame⁵ stamped over it. It was retweeted more than 19,000 times. Then Maria Zakharova, the spokeswoman of Russia's foreign ministry⁶, posted on Facebook. She accused the Obama administration of being, quote, "a group of foreign policy losers who have humiliated⁷ America more than any foreign enemy could have."

Everything was set up for a big announcement on Friday, and sure enough, at lunchtime, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov went on national TV.

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SERGEY LAVROV: (Speaking Russian).

KIM: "Of course we can't leave such antics without a response," Lavrov said. "That's why the foreign ministry was recommending the expulsion of 35 American diplomats working in Russia." Done and dusted it seemed. In Vladimir Putin's top-down power structure, there's generally no public discussion and no dissent⁸. But that's why this came as a surprise.

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UNIDENTIFIED MAN: (Speaking Russian).

KIM: Newsflash - Putin has declined the recommendations of his foreign minister. Putin's statement was so important that a news anchor read it out in its entirety.

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UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: (Speaking Russian).

KIM: "We will not expel anyone," she read from his statement. "Moreover, I invite all children of U.S. diplomats to view the Christmas tree in the Kremlin." Putin went on to send holiday greetings to the entire American people.

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UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: (Speaking Russian).

KIM: And in the new year, Putin said in his statement, he will work to restore Russian-U.S. relations based on the policies of incoming president Donald Trump⁹. Lucian Kim, NPR News, Moscow.