Russia expels US diplomats after warning to cut ties

The Russian Foreign Ministry said on March 23 that it had summoned “a senior diplomat of the US diplomatic mission in Moscow” and handed over “a note containing a list of the expelled US diplomatic staff”. export” as “unwelcome”.

The Russian Foreign Ministry revealed that this was a response to the US expulsion of Russian diplomats from Moscow’s mission to the United Nations in New York.

“The US side has been informed that any US action against Russia will receive a decisive and appropriate response,” the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement.

Earlier, the US ordered the expulsion of 12 diplomats working at Moscow’s mission to the United Nations on February 28. A spokesman for the US mission to the United Nations said that the expelled Russian diplomats had “engaged in espionage activities that harm US national security”.

The announcement comes less than a week after the US expelled the diplomat from the Russian Embassy in Washington. The US State Department said the move was in response to Russia’s “unprovoked” expulsion of a diplomat from the US embassy in Moscow.

The US expelled 27 Russian diplomats and their families late last year, asking them to leave before January 30. Russian Ambassador to the US Anatoly Antonov at the time said the embassy was facing a severe shortage of personnel. Before that, Russia had nearly 200 diplomats working in the US, including Moscow’s mission to the United Nations.

The above moves take place in the context of relations between Russia and the West escalating tensions due to the Ukraine issue. To protest against Russia’s military campaign in Ukraine, the US and many European countries have imposed a series of sanctions on Moscow.

Russia’s Foreign Ministry said on March 21 that it had summoned US Ambassador John Sullivan to hand over a note protesting President Joe Biden’s use of harsh language towards his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin when criticizing the campaign. military of Moscow in Ukraine. A statement from the Russian Foreign Ministry said that the comments of the White House owner “put Russia-US relations on the brink of collapse” and warned that hostile actions against Russia will be met with resistance. resolutely and resolutely”.

Russia and the Soviet Union have maintained diplomatic relations since 1933, however, relations between Washington and Moscow have escalated in recent years due to issues related to Ukraine. The United States has imposed a series of sanctions against Moscow since Russia annexed Crimea in 2014.

In addition to the US, a number of European countries, including Lithuania, Estonia, Bulgaria and Slovakia, have simultaneously expelled Russian diplomats in a move to punish Moscow for its military campaign in Ukraine.

Poland’s security service this week asked the country’s foreign ministry to expel 45 Russian diplomats suspected of being spies. Moscow warned of retaliation if Poland decided to expel Russian diplomats.