U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday ordered the expulsion of at least 60 Russians from the United States and closed the Russian consulate in Seattle over a nerve agent attack earlier this month in Britain, senior U.S. officials said.
The order includes 12 Russian intelligence officers from Russia's mission to the United Nations headquarters in New York and reflects concerns that Russian intelligence activities have been increasingly aggressive, senior U.S. administration officials told reporters, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Simultaneously with the U.S. announcement, 14 EU member states decided to expel Russian diplomats, European Council president Donald Tusk told reporters Monday.
"Additional measures, including further sanctions within the common EU framework, cannot be excluded in the coming days and weeks," he said.
Germany announced it was expelling four Russian diplomats as an act of solidarity with Britain, which has accused Moscow of carrying out the nerve agent attack on former double agent Sergei Skripal.
"After the poisoning attack in Salisbury, Russia is still not cooperating with the investigation," the German foreign ministry said.
Other countries that expelled Russian diplomats on Monday include France, Poland, Denmark, Lithuania, Czech Republic, the Netherlands, Latvia, Estonia and Ukraine.
The state-run RIA news agency cited a Russian foreign ministry source as saying: “The response will be symmetrical. We will work on it in the coming days and will respond to every country in turn.”
Reuters contributed reporting to this article.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.
