Sanctions against Russia questioned

WASHINGTON: US President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming Press Secretary Sean Spicer questioned the severity of President Barack Obama’s response to Russia’s alleged election hacking as plane carrying 35 Russian diplomats took off from Washington on Sunday.

“I think one of the questions that we have is: Why the magnitude of this?” Spicer said in an interview with American Broadcasting Company, referring to sanctions announced by Obama on Thursday against Russia over alleged hacking during the election.

“I mean you look at 35 people being expelled, two sites being closed down, the question is: Is that response in proportion to the actions taken? Maybe it was; maybe it wasn’t, but you have to think about that,” Spicer said.

“The plane has taken off, everyone is on board,” said the Russian Embassy in Washington. Relatives of the diplomats are also onboard the plane flown specially from Russia.

The expulsions were part of a package of sanctions ordered by President Barack Obama on Thursday in the final weeks of his administration.

Trump had downplayed the escalating tensions between Washington and Moscow over alleged Russian hacking activities targeting the United States.

“It’s time for our country to move on to bigger and better things,” he said in a statement on Thursday, adding he will meet with US intelligence agencies next week to gather facts about the situation.

Dmitry Peskov, spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin, told reporters in Russia that Moscow regretted the new sanctions and the measures signalled Obama’s “unpredictable” and “aggressive foreign policy”.

However, Putin said Russia will not expel anyone despite Washington’s latest sanctions, according to the Kremlin press service.

Trump also plans to repeal a raft of Obama’s executive actions on his first day in office, Spicer said.