MOSCOW, December 30. /TASS/. The United States is taking revenge on Russia for the failure of its own foreign policy by expelling Russian diplomats, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, said on Friday.
"What happened in the world on December 29 is very symbolic," she said. "Moscow announced the truce in Syria, the long-awaited truce the diplomats, the military were trying to achieve by pooling efforts, trying to find common ground with our partners. It was so difficult, and our foreign and defense ministries really had a hard time."
"On December 29, the same day, Washington, too, made a statement - on the expulsion of Russian diplomats," Zakharova noted. "This is a kind of revenge for the failure of its foreign policy. This is very symbolic and will be described in text books on international relations."
"We often heard from the Obama administration, from representatives of the White house of State Department that Moscow is on the wrong side of history," the diplomat noted. "Wrong. After today’s decision we are on the right side of history. The thing is that, unfortunately, the outgoing US administration is not even on the wrong side of history, it is just at the bottom."
On December 29, it became known that Washington slapped new sanctions on Moscow over its supposed cyberattacks on US institutions. The restrictive measures announced on Thursday apply to some Russian companies, the Federal Security Service and the Russian General Staff’s Main Department and its senior officials. In addition to that, US authorities declared 35 Russian diplomats persona non grata. Thjey are to leave the US within 72 hours. Washington also informed Moscow that it would deny Russian personnel access to two recreational compounds in the United States owned by the Russian government.
Moscow has repeatedly denied any involvement in cyberattacks. Commenting on the new sanctions, Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said they are a manifestation of aggression.