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Russia expels 85 European diplomats

Russia expels 85 European diplomats

The headquarters of the Russian Foreign Ministry in Moscow – Tass . screenshot

According to Russia’s Tass news agency, 27 people from the Spanish Embassy in Moscow and the Spanish Consulate General in Saint Petersburg have one week to leave Russia.

The decision was given to Spanish Ambassador Marcos Gomez Martinez when he was summoned to the Russian Foreign Ministry on May 18.

On the same day, Russia announced that 24 people from the Italian Embassy in Moscow would have to leave the country. The Russian Foreign Ministry confirmed this was a measure of proportionate retaliation for Italy’s expulsion of Russian diplomats.

34 French diplomats were also placed on a list of “unwelcome persons” by Russia, meaning they must leave Russia within the time specified by Moscow.

According to Tass, these people must leave Russian territory within two weeks from May 18, the time the deportation notice was given to French Ambassador to Russia Pierre Levy.

In a statement on the same day on May 18, Italian Prime Minister Pierre Levy criticized Russia’s decision and described it as a “hostile act”.

A spokesman for the French Foreign Ministry also objected to Russia’s decision, calling it an action “without a legal basis” and Paris regretting Moscow’s actions.

Since Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine on February 24, Western countries have expelled more than 300 Russian diplomats. Moscow also expelled European diplomats in equal numbers as an act of retaliation.

The tit-for-tat moves and the tense political atmosphere have made many Russian diplomats feel pressured and isolated in some countries, according to Reuters news agency.

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