Donald Trump has thanked President Vladimir Putin for expelling nearly 800 American diplomats from Russia because it allows the US to "cut down our payroll".The US leader is on a 17-day "working vacation" at his own golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey and made the comments while addressing the press.
Mr Putin ordered the US to cut its foreign service staff by 755 people in an apparent responsive to new sanctions placed on Russia by the US Congress, which in turn were a response to Russia's interference in the 2016 presidential election.
“Over 1,000 employees — diplomats and technical workers — worked and continue to work today in Russia...[the cut] is biting," Mr Putin said in an interview on a state run television programme at the time.
But Mr Trump seemingly does not see it that way. "As far as I’m concerned I’m very thankful that he let go of a large number of people because now we have a smaller payroll," he said, ignoring the fact that these people are government employees who will likely be assigned to another country or moved to a State Department office of some kind.
The State Department has not said these diplomats will be sacked
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