Putin to Obama: Russia Will Not Engage In “Irresponsible” Diplomacy

By Kody Fairfield

Shortly after President Barack Obama levied sanctions on Russian entities and expelled 35 Russian diplomats by naming them “persona non grata” for Russia’s alleged involvement in affecting the outcome of the 2016 Presidential election, the Twitter account for the Russian Embassy laughed off the administration, calling it a “lame duck.” Following the trolling, Foreign Minister of Russia Sergei Lavrov issued an official statement threatening reciprocity. “We cannot leave such acts unanswered. Reciprocity is part of diplomatic law. There is no doubt that Russia’s adequate and mirror response will make Washington officials feel very uncomfortable as well,” said Lavrov.

The political stage is now set with extreme tension between two super-power nations whose relationship was already contentious, as everyone awaited Vladimir Putin’s response.

 On Friday morning, the Russian leader decided he was not going to retaliate in-kind against the US and the Obama administration, rejecting Foreign Minister Lavrov’s proposal. In a statement released through the Kremlin, Putin explains that Russia will not expel 35 diplomats, and that they will not “stoop” to irresponsible “kitchen” diplomacy.

We regard the recent unfriendly steps taken by the outgoing US administration as provocative and aimed at further weakening the Russia-US relationship. This runs contrary to the fundamental interests of both the Russian and American people. Considering the global security responsibilities of Russia and the United States, this is also damaging to international relations as a whole.

As it proceeds from international practice, Russia has reasons to respond in kind. Although we have the right to retaliate, we will not resort to irresponsible ‘kitchen’ diplomacy but will plan our further steps to restore Russian-US relations based on the policies of the Trump Administration.

The diplomats who are returning to Russia will spend the New Year’s holidays with their families and friends. We will not create any problems for US diplomats. We will not expel anyone. We will not prevent their families and children from using their traditional leisure sites during the New Year’s holidays. Moreover, I invite all children of US diplomats accredited in Russia to the New Year and Christmas children’s parties in the Kremlin.

It is regrettable that the Obama Administration is ending its term in this manner. Nevertheless, I offer my New Year greetings to President Obama and his family.

My season’s greetings also to President-elect Donald Trump and the American people.

I wish all of you happiness and prosperity.

Along with Putin’s chastising response to the Obama administration’s actions against Russia, others in Russia’s political class have fired back pugnaciously.

“The leaving administration has no reason and no political or moral right for such drastic and disruptive steps with regards to bilateral relations with Russia. Forgive me for being harsh, but I just cannot find other words: this is the agony of not the lame ducks, but of political corpses. [President Obama] put at stake the US’ reputation as an adequate state that ensures policy continuity in the process of change of power.” – Konstantin Kosachev, head of the International Committee of the Russian Upper House of Parliament in a statement to RIA Novosti.

“This is really a disturbing news, It creates additional difficulties for the [Trump] administration to overcome later,” said Alexei Chepa, Kosachev’s deputy.

The Observer quoted the International Committee of Parliament, Vladimir Dzhabarov as saying Obama acted out of “impotence” and that “Obama proved himself to be an arbitrary person who happened to lead the United States.”

Gevorg Mirzayan, a professor at Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation said, “usually when one’s political opponents from another party arrive into the White House, the power is transferred with dignity. But instead of this, the current [U.S.] most important person, like a ‘mad printer,’ is creating laws and decrees with the goal to freeze the ‘foreign affairs revolution’ of the new administration. I believe that the personal antipathies of Obama, who believes ‘Putin beat him on all fronts—including the elections’ play a role here,'” to the Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper.

Maria Zakharova, an official representative of the Russian Ministry for Foreign Affairs said to Lifenews, “The outgoing US Administration, in her last days, still hopes to ruin even more the relations with Russia, forgetting, probably, that these relations had already been brought down to the ground.” She added on Facebook, translated to english, “people [who] inhabited the White House for 8 years are not Administration but a bunch of foreign policy losers, angry and primitive. Today, Obama admitted this officially. The most amazing thing is that, having not been able to write down into the history of the Presidency any achievements on international arena, the Nobel Prize Laureate managed to put a fat blob instead of elegant dot… Today, America, American people were humiliated by their own President. Not by international terrorists or foreign enemy’s troops. It’s a curtain time. [The] ugly show is over. The whole world, from stalls to the gallery, had been watching the crashing blow to the prestige of America and to its leadership, caused by Barak Obama and his illiterate foreign policy team that opened to the world her biggest secret – exclusiveness was a mask for helplessness. And no enemy of the United States could have done worse damage.”

 

Responding to the situation he will be inheriting, President-elect Donald Trump said, “It’s time for our country to move on to bigger and better things.” He concluded his statement saying, “nevertheless, in the interest of our country and its great people, I will meet with leaders of the intelligence community next week in order to be updated on the facts of this situation.”

 Trump’s statement on Putin and Russian interference is at odds with leaders in his own party. Top Republicans such as Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (R-WI) and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) have both said they support sanctions against Russia.

Follow Kody On Twitter