President Trump on Thursday praised Russia for booting hundreds of US diplomats out of the country — saying that will save money on their salaries.

“I want to thank him because we’re trying to cut down our payroll,” Trump said of Russian President Vladimir Putin during a press conference at his New Jersey golf club.

“There’s no real reason for them to go back. I greatly appreciate the fact that we’ve been able to cut our payroll of the United States. We’re going to save a lot of money.”

Putin last month ordered 755 US diplomats to leave Russia, in retaliation for new sanctions over Moscow’s interference in the 2016 presidential election.

He gave Washington until September to reduce its diplomatic staff to 455 people — the same number Russia has in the US.