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Spy poisoning: Russia expels US diplomats in tit-for-tat measure | |
(35 minutes later) | |
Russia has expelled 60 US diplomats and closed the country's St Petersburg consulate in a tit-for-tat response to US action over a spy poisoning case in the UK. | |
The moves were announced by the Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. | The moves were announced by the Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. |
It comes amid a row over the nerve agent attack on a former Russian spy and his daughter in southern England. | |
Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were found unconscious on a bench in the city of Salisbury on 4 March. | |
More than 20 countries have expelled Russian envoys, in solidarity with the UK, which has blamed Moscow for the attack. | |
Russia has vehemently denied any role. Mr Skripal remains in a critical but stable condition. His daughter's condition is said to be improving. | |
Mr Lavrov said that the US ambassador had been informed of "retaliatory measures". | |
He said they included "the expulsion of the equivalent number of diplomats and our decision to withdraw permission for the functioning of the US consulate general in Saint Petersburg". | |
The US had earlier ordered the expulsion of 60 diplomats and closed the Russian consulate general in Seattle. | |
Mr Lavrov said other countries which had expelled Russian diplomats could expect Moscow to respond in kind. He said Russia was responding to "absolutely unacceptable actions". | |
Shortly afterwards, the Russian foreign ministry declared 58 US diplomats in Moscow and two in the city of Yekaterinburg to be "persona non grata", the Interfax news agency reported. |