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Russia to expel 150 diplomats and close US consulate in St Petersburg over response to Salisbury spy poisoning Russia to expel 150 diplomats and close US consulate in St Petersburg over response to Salisbury spy poisoning
(35 minutes later)
Russia will expel 150 diplomats and close the US Consulate in St Petersburg in retaliation to the international response to the poisoning of an ex-Russian spy in Britain. Russia has said it will expel around 150 diplomats and close the US Consulate in St Petersburg in retaliation to the coordinated international response over the poisoning of an ex-Russian spy in Britain.
Two dozen countries, including the US, many EU nations and Nato, have ordered more than 150 Russian diplomats out this week in a show of solidarity with Britain over the poisoning of Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia.  Two dozen countries, including the US and many EU nations - as well as Nato - have ordered more than 150 Russian diplomats out this week in a show of solidarity with Britain over the poisoning of Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in Salisbury earlier this month.
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that US Ambassador Jon Huntsman was summoned to the Foreign Ministry where he was given notice that Russia is responding quid pro quo to the US decision to order 60 Russian diplomats out. Mr Lavrov said Moscow will also retaliate to the decision by Washington to shut the Russian consulate in Seattle by closing the US consulate in St. Petersburg. The UK has accused Russia of responsibility for the attack, during which the Skripals were exposed to the nerve agent Novichok. Russia has denied being involved and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov made clear that all expulsions will be responded to in kind.
According to the Interfax news agency, 58 of the officials are based in Russia, with another two general consulate officials in the eastern city of Yekateringburg. They have been declared persona non grata and have been told to leave Russia by 5 April.  Mr Lavrov said that US Ambassador Jon Huntsman was summoned to the Foreign Ministry where he was given notice that Russia is replicating the US decision to order 60 Russian diplomats out. Mr Lavrov added that Moscow will also retaliate to the decision by Washington to shut the Russian consulate in Seattle by closing the US consulate in St Petersburg.
The US Consulate in St Petersburg has two days to suspend operations, according to Russian media. The tit-for-tat expulsions come as no surprise. But the shuttering of the American consulate in Russia’s second city is an escalation. The Seattle consulate is  Russia’s smallest diplomatic outpost in the US.
Mr Lavrov said Russia would take the same approach to other nations that expelled Russian diplomats this week.  Fifty-eight of the officials are based in Moscow, with another two general consulate officials in the eastern city of Yekateringburg. They have been declared persona non grata and have been told to leave Russia by 5 April. The US Consulate in St Petersburg has two days to suspend operations, according to Russian media.
"The measures would be reciprocal ... They include expulsion of the equivalent number of diplomats and they include our decision to withdraw our agreement to allow the United States' general consulate to operate in St. Petersburg," Mr Lavrov told a briefing.  During the briefing Mr Lavrov accused Britain of “forcing everyone to follow an anti-Russian course” and that they were “making mockery of international law”. Russia has called for a meeting with the executive council of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to ask questions to “establish the truth”, he said.
The development will do little to quell the fears raised by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres that the world is approaching a situation “similar” to the Cold War as tensions rise between the United States and Russia.  "The measures would be reciprocal ... They include expulsion of the equivalent number of diplomats and they include our decision to withdraw our agreement to allow the United States' general consulate to operate in St Petersburg," Mr Lavrov told a briefing. 
Trailing the decision earlier in the day, the Kremlin mouthpiece Izvestia newspaper said that the foreign ministry had debated closing consulates in Yekaterinburg and Vladivostok. In the end, the recommendation was St Petersburg — considered more significant to US interests — though the final word would naturally come from President Vladimir Putin.
Traditionally, Russia’s response what it deems to be dangerous actions by a foe — whether military or diplomatic — has been to escalate quickly. The calculation has always been that the opponent will fold first. Usually, they do.
The initial UK response to the Salisbury poisoning seemed to build that understanding into their sanctions, offering what many considered to be no more a mild tap on Russian wrists. The expulsion of 23 diplomats allegedly involved in intelligence activity was certainly less than many expected. Russia responded as expected by raising the stakes  — bringing the British Council and Consulate in St Petersburg into the equation.
But the subsequent collective action by Western countries has taken Moscow by surprise. And it may yet get worse for the Kremlin, with the UK government this week raising the possibility of banning the sale of Russian sovereign bonds in London. Speaking to journalists on Thursday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that such a move would hit London more than Russia — “These decisions can not but harm the reputation of such countries in terms of their relationship with other investors”.
The Metropolitan Police believe Mr Skripal and his daughter first came in contact with the nerve agent that poisoned them at his home, with the highest concentration of Novichok found at the front door. The pair were later found unconscious on a park bench and have been patients at Salisbury District Hospital ever since. Yulia is said to be "improving rapidly" but Sergei remains in a critical but stable condition. 
Medical director Dr Christine Blanshard said on Thursday that he was able "to report an improvement in the condition of Yulia Skripal.
“She has responded well to treatment but continues to receive expert clinical care 24 hours a day.... I want to take this opportunity to once again thank the staff of Salisbury District Hospital for delivering such high quality care to these patients over the last few weeks," he said.
The latest expulsions by Moscow will do little to quell the fears raised by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres that the world is approaching a situation “similar” to the Cold War as tensions rise between the United States and Russia. 
Mr Guterres said the current situation, driven in part by the poisoning but also tensions over Russian meddling in the US presidential election and issues such as the war in Syria, is different to the Cold War in two important ways. First, there are more players in conflicts than during the two-superpower era and second, there are fewer communication channels set up to keep problems from escalating. He told reporters on Thursday that he is “very concerned.” Mr Guterres said the current situation, driven in part by the poisoning but also tensions over Russian meddling in the US presidential election and issues such as the war in Syria, is different to the Cold War in two important ways. First, there are more players in conflicts than during the two-superpower era and second, there are fewer communication channels set up to keep problems from escalating. He told reporters on Thursday that he is “very concerned.” 
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