More than 130 Russian diplomats expelled from 20 countries, including US, as fallout from ex-spy poisoning continues
European Council President Donald Tusk said that 14 European Union countries will expel Russia diplomats as well
The total number of Russian diplomats expelled from foreign countries rose to 134 on Monday as the United States and several European countries rallied behind Britain following the poisoning of an ex-spy in England.
US President Donald Trump ordered 60 Russian diplomats to leave the country, saying it believed them to be spies, and also closed Russia’s consulate in Seattle, senior administration officials said on Monday.
That was the biggest expulsion - but certainly not the only one, with Germany, France and Poland leading the way in the EU with four expulsions each, and Ukraine expelling 13 from its borders.
Russia, meanwhile, has denounced the move, with the Foreign Ministry saying that “This unfriendly step by this group of countries won’t pass without impact and we will respond,” accusing the UK’s allies of “blindly following the principle of Euro-Atlantic unity.”
This unfriendly step by this group of countries won’t pass without impact and we will respond
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called the moves “mistaken” and said Russia’s response “will be guided by the principle of reciprocity.”
“Relations are crashing worse than they did in the Cold War,” said Fyodor Lukyanov, head of Russia’s Council on Foreign and Defense Policy, a research group that advises the Kremlin. “This kind of multilateral expulsion is unprecedented.”
German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, who said in a statement announcing the removal of Russian diplomats from the country that “It is clear that there must be consequences,” for Russia’s alleged actions.
“We in the European Union have therefore adopted an unequivocal position and stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the United Kingdom,” he said.