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Online Desk: Calling Vladimir Putin �very smart�, US President-elect Donald Trump on Friday praised the Russian President for not retaliating immediately to Washington�s punitive measures imposed on Moscow over alleged interference in the November polls. �Great move on delay (by V. Putin) ? I always knew he was very smart!,� Trump said. Trump�s move siding with Putin over President Barack Obama was seen as a dramatic departure from typical diplomatic practice.
Obama yesterday sanctioned Russia and expelled 35 of its agents over alleged Russian hacking during the US presidential polls, but his counterpart Putin surprisingly refused to retaliate, saying he will watch the moves of Trump, who will assume charge on January 20.