WEB DESK
The US on Monday expelled 60 Russian diplomats, describing them as intelligence officers and ordered the closure of the Russian Consulate in Seattle.
European Council President Donald Tusk too announced that at least 14 EU countries have decided to expel Russian diplomats in response to the poisoning of a former Russian spy and his daughter in Britain, prompting a “strong protest” from Moscow which vowed to retaliate.
It comes days after Washington warned of retaliation for the use of nerve agent against a former Russian spy in the UK. A dozen of these expelled diplomats are based at Russia’s Permanent Mission to the UN.
The White House said, all Russian diplomats, connected to the country’s intelligence agencies, and their families have been given seven days’ time to leave the country.
It said, this is in retaliation to the use of nerve agent against former spy Sergei Skripal in the United Kingdom, which blames Russia for the attack.
Moscow has denied these allegations. The United Kingdom has already expelled 23 Russian diplomats. Germany, France and Ukraine have also announced they are each expelling Russian diplomats.
“As a direct follow up to last week’s European Council decision to react to Russia within a common framework, already today (Monday) 14 Member states have decided to expel Russian diplomats,” Tusk said.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said: “We consider this step as unfriendly and not corresponding to the goal and wish to establish the causes and search for the perpetrators of the (ex-spy poisoning) incident on March 4.”
It said the British authorities took a “prejudiced, biased and hypocritical stance.” It denied Russia’s involvement in the incident.
On March 4, former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia suffered a chemical attack in Salisbury in Britain and were in a critical but stable condition in hospital.
British officials identified the chemical as Novichok, a nerve agent developed by Russia during the Cold War.
Britain expelled 23 Russian diplomats last week and Russia ordered retaliatory expulsions.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel called for coordinated measures by European Union members and the group’s ambassadors were meeting in Brussels to discuss action against Russia.
Trump was criticised for being soft on Russia, which, in turn, was accused of interfering in US elections to help bring him to power in 2017.
Earlier this month, Trump imposed sanctions on several Russian individuals and an organisation for their “malicious cyberattacks” and interference in the US elections.
The Guardian reported that apart from the EU members, Ukraine is also to expel 13 Russian diplomats.
Of the 60 Russian diplomats, whom the US official identified as “Russian spies”, 12 were members of the Russian mission to the UN and all had seven days to leave the US.
The official estimated that there were about “100 Russian spies” in the US.