Russian President Vladimir Putin invited the children of U.S. diplomats to New Year’s Eve celebrations in the Kremlin in Moscow, according to Russian state news agency Sputnik.
Yelena Krylova, spokesperson for Putin’s office, told the news agency the government was going through “required procedures” to make sure the diplomats’ children “have a good time if they decide to go.”
WATCH: U.S. ousts Russian diplomats, announces new sanctions as tensions rise
The move came in response to U.S. media reports claiming that Russian officials ordered the closure of a school attended by the children of American, Canadian and British diplomats.
The school closure was reported by CNN, and vehemently denied by Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova in a Facebook post.
U.S. President Barack Obama announced sanctions against Russian intelligence services and expelled 35 Russian diplomats from U.S. soil on Thursday, in response to alleged Russian hacking of Democratic National Committee members.
READ MORE: Obama orders sanctions against Russia over US election hacking, expels 35 diplomats
The FBI later released a report that included samples of malicious computer code said to have been used by Russian intelligence-backed hackers to attack various U.S. government targets.
Russia has repeatedly denied the allegations, which U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has said were designed to taint his election victory.
Putin said Friday that he would not be ousting American diplomats in retaliation for Obama’s move, garnering praise from Trump, who called him “very smart” in a tweet.
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