Russia will mirror the diplomats of those countries that announced the expulsion of Russian in response to the poisoning of former GRU officer Sergei Skripal. This March 29, said the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry Sergei Lavrov.
Russia also closes the US consulate in St. Petersburg.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Thursday evening that Moscow has decided to mirror all countries that have shown solidarity with London in the "Skripal case". "The measures will be mirrored, but not only," he added.
On March 12, British Prime Minister Theresa May accused the ex-employee of the GRU Skripal of poisoning Russia by giving the Kremlin an ultimatum: the Russian authorities had to explain within 36 hours whether the use of the Novice poison agent in Salisbury was the result of "direct actions" by the Russian state " or "the result of the loss of control over the stocks of such substances."
When the deadline for the ultimatum expired, and the answer was never received, May announced the expulsion of 23 Russian diplomats from the UK.
In solidarity with Britain, NATO members and partners decided to expel more than 100 Russian diplomats, 60 of whom will be expelled from the United States.
The White House statement on this occasion says that President Donald Trump "ordered the expulsion of dozens of Russian intelligence officers from the United States and close the Russian consulate in Seattle because of its proximity to one of the submarine bases and the headquarters of Boeing."
The statement notes that the United States is taking this measure with NATO allies and partners around the world in response to Russia's use of military chemical weapons on the territory of the United Kingdom of Great Britain. It is noted that the incident in the UK is "the last in the ongoing trend of destabilizing activities around the world."
"Today's actions make the US safer by reducing Russia's ability to spy on Americans and conduct covert operations that threaten America's national security," the statement said.
"The United States, our allies and partners are explaining to Russia that its actions will not be without consequences.The United States is ready to cooperate in order to establish closer relations with Russia, but this can only happen with a change in the behavior of the Russian government," the statement of the US administration says. .
The authorities of 22 countries announced the expulsion of Russian diplomats because of the Kremlin's refusal to answer questions on the case of poisoning in the UK of a former GRU officer Sergei Skripal. Diplomats have already been expelled by the United Kingdom itself. As a sign of solidarity with London, the same measures were taken by another 15 EU countries, as well as Canada, Norway, Albania, Macedonia and Ukraine. In total, almost 140 Russian diplomats will be expelled. In total, this week 34 states showed their solidarity with London to one or another degree.
In response, Moscow announced the expulsion of 23 British diplomats and promised retaliation against other countries.