By Prarthana Mitra
The United States, several of its European allies, Canada and Ukraine are expelling dozens of Russian diplomats in a response to the Russia-backed nerve agent attack in Salisbury, United Kingdom. The White House announced the expulsion of 60 officers and said these were Russian spies working under diplomatic cover on Monday.
British Prime Minister Theresa May added that 18 countries have supported with the United Kingdom, expelling over 100 diplomats worldwide. Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson tweeted saying this is the “largest collective expulsion of Russian intelligence officers ever.”
Today’s extraordinary international response by our allies stands in history as the largest collective expulsion of Russian intelligence officers ever & will help defend our shared security. Russia cannot break international rules with impunity
— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) March 26, 2018
Sergei Skripal, a former Russian military intelligence officer and double agent for British intelligence services, and his daughter Yulia remain in critical but stable condition at the UK’s Salisbury District Hospital after they were poisoned with a nerve agent on March 4.
Read Also: Explainer: All you need to know about the poisoning of ex-Russian double agent Sergei Skripal
Russian officials have denied all allegations. White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said the move was directed to show to “Russia that its actions have consequences.”
“The United States takes this action – in conjunction with our NATO allies and partners around the world – in response to Russia’s use of a military-grade chemical weapon on the soil of the United Kingdom, the latest in its ongoing pattern of destabilising activities around the world,” the White House said in a written statement.
Out of those expelled from the United States, 48 are members of the Russian Embassy and 12 are officers from Russia’s mission to the United Nations in New York. The expelled diplomats and their families will be given 7 days to leave the country.
An extraordinary show of solidarity from the EU and other countries
Over 40 officials have been expelled by the governments of Canada, Ukraine, and 14 member states of the European Union including France, Germany, Italy, Denmark, Netherlands.
EU countries expelling Russian diplomats following #SalisburyAttack – situation now:
🇬🇧UK: 23
🇫🇷France: 4
🇩🇪Germany: 4
🇵🇱PL: 4
🇱🇹Lithuania: 3
🇨🇿Czech Rep : 3
🇳🇱NL: 2
🇩🇰DK: 2
🇮🇹IT: 2
ðŸ‡ðŸ‡·Croatia: 1
ðŸ‡ðŸ‡ºHU: 1
🇱🇻Latvia: 1
🇫🇮Finland: 1
+ 🇪🇺EU Amb.— Pablo Pérez (@PabloPerezA) March 26, 2018
European Council president Donald Tusk announced Monday night the EU’s decision to expel Russian officials in conjunction with the US, after arriving at an affirmative conclusion last week about Russia’s involvement in the Salisbury attack. He also did not rule out the possibility of further expulsions in the coming weeks.
After announcing the expulsion of 13 diplomats, Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs tweeted that Ukraine was waiting to coordinate with “friends and partners in the democratic transatlantic community.”
We have decided to expel 13 Russian diplomats from Ukraine. We have been preparing for this for some time, but have decided to act now in co-ordination with our friends and partners in the democratic transatlantic community of which we are part.
— Pavlo Klimkin (@PavloKlimkin) March 26, 2018
Russian Response
The Russian Foreign Ministry regards this coordinated mass expulsion as an “unfriendly step” and a “provocative gesture”. In a statement to the press, they expressed the “strongest protest in the wake of the decision taken by a number of EU and NATO member countries to expel Russian diplomats.” The Russian foreign ministry accused the United States and other allies of being “puppets of the British authorities.”
Earlier this month, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told Reuters reporters that “of course” Russia is planning to expel British diplomats from Moscow in retaliation for May’s decision to expel Russian diplomats.
Conditions between Russia and the rest of the world seem to be reaching a lower point every day the Kremlin refuses to take the blame for the poisoning.
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