Expelled Russian diplomats leave United States

(Vatican Radio) Dozens of Russian diplomats expelled from the United States by President Barack Obama have left the country, amid a standoff between Washington and Moscow over Russia's alleged attempt to influence the US presidential elections.

Listen to Stefan Bos' report:

The Russian embassy in the U.S. said in a statement to Russian media that all 35 expelled diplomats and their families left the United States aboard a hastily arranged plane.

President Obama had given the affected diplomats just 72 hours to leave the country.

He ordered the expulsion in response to Russia's alleged hacking of the US Democratic Party emails and those of the campaign of presidential candidate Hillary Clinton during the 2016 presidential election.

In addition Washington closed two Russian compounds in New York and Maryland.

PUTIN CALM

Russia's president Vladimir Putin had been expected to respond with the expulsion of US diplomats from its territory. But Putin later said that Moscow would "not sink to the level of this irresponsible 'kitchen' diplomacy."

President-elect Donald Trump, who is seen as more pro-Russian by Moscow,  praised Putin's decision as "very smart".

Critics say Russia tried to influence the outcome of the presidential election.   

Yet, Trump has been skeptical about Obama's hacking allegations saying the intelligence community had been wrong about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. "I just want them to be sure, because it's a pretty serious charge, and I want them to be sure. And if you look at the weapons of mass destruction, that was a disaster, and they were wrong," Trump said, referencing failed intelligence in the lead-up to the Iraq War as a reason for skepticism.

"I think it's unfair if they don't know," he said. "And I know a lot about hacking. And hacking is a very hard thing to prove. So it could be somebody else [than Russia]. He also said that he knows "things that other people don't know. And so they cannot be sure of the situation."     

Trump refused to provide details, saying he would make an announcement on "Tuesday or Wednesday".

But he suggested that computers could not be trusted with sensitive information, and recommended using pen and paper.

In the words of the 70-year-old Trump: "If you have something really important, write it out and have it delivered by courier, the old-fashioned way." Because, "no computer is safe," he said.