Putin Defends Massive Cut in US Diplomatic Staff in Russia
Russian President Vladimir Putin is defending his massive cut in the size of the U.S. diplomatic mission in Russia, saying it had waited long enough for relations with Washington to improve. Putin said he had hoped “the situation would perhaps change for the better. But it seems that even if the situation is changing, it is not for any time soon.” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said an improvement of U.S.-Russia relations rest on “curing the worsening political schizophrenia” in Washington, but said the two countries remain “far away” from closer ties. The Russian leader Sunday ordered the U.S. to cut …