President Donald Trump has thanked Russian President Vladimir Putin for ordering the US embassy in Moscow to slash its staff, boasting that this would cut payroll costs. <br/><br/>Last month, the Kremlin demanded that Washington reduce its diplomatic footprint in Russia by 755 employees, both US diplomats and local staff, and close two compounds.<br/><br/>This was seen as marking a historic new low in post-Cold war Russia-US relations but Trump, who has long argued the case for closer ties, said after a meeting with top aides in New Jersey he saw a silver lining in the crisis.