washington russian president vladimir putin toss president-elect donald trump bouquet december choose retaliate u.s. expulsion russian diplomats seizure russian diplomatic compound honeymoon russia tit-for-tat decision expel hundreds u.s. diplomats seize two u.s. compound may acknowledgment moscow trump ability bring good tie limit best start new downward spiral relations russia take step u.s. senate thursday send breath-taking signal trust trump russia pass bill impose new sanction moscow tie president hand seek ease white house issue statement friday night say trump negotiate change legislation intend sign russians take trump measure will exploit goofy fixation putin naive sense deal someone like putin ... realize clownish performance president make really hard deliver big things russia want say andrew weiss former national security council russia expert top russia wish list ease u.s. sanction impose annexation crimea ukraine destabilization eastern ukraine something senate action would rule another inconceivable item would formal u.s. recognition russia claim crimea trump performance surely leave nobody moscow impression guy deliver say weiss carnegie endowment international peace think tank trump desire often express 2016 presidential campaign improve relations hamstring find u.s. intelligence agencies russia interfere help republican democrat hillary clinton federal law enforcement investigation multiple u.s. congressional probe look possibility trump campaign collude russia make hard trump open new chapter putin russia deny interfere election trump say collusion senate 98-2 passage sanction bill follow 419-3 vote house representatives force trump take hard line moscow veto legislation infuriate fellow republicans huge margins mean congress could easily override veto weiss suggest trump low approval rat home tendency alienate nato ally germany inability pass domestic legislation contribute russian perception weaken unite state go pay dividends moscow need turn away course already self-destructive bad america stand internationally huge win kremlin weiss say russia give unite state sept. cut diplomatic staff russia 455 people number russian diplomats leave unite state washington expel 35 russians december allege election hack also say would seize moscow compound use u.s. diplomats well u.s. diplomatic warehouse former officials say russia could take step seek help russian-backed force seize grind eastern ukraine try limit u.s. air operations syria others say reaction might mute russia could look impose economic counter-sanctions unite state former official say say think retaliation ukraine syria less likely likely lead u.s. counter response michael mcfaul u.s. ambassador russia 2012-2014 say think russia escalate tensions unite state yet trump assertions want good relations moscow encourage putin continue seek kind accommodation u.s. president think go walk away yet say mcfaul believe putin still believe might something trump trump honeymoon putin may finally